Redemption 'Eternity is a long time to wait'
by angelsslave
Summary: Set after episode 22 cliffhanger 'Deep Dark' fan fiction cries out for closure in this first Blood Ties fan fic i have written. Vicki and Henry meet under strange circumstances as Vicki takes on her most dangerous case to date.
1. Chapter 1

Redemption

Eternity is a long time to wait...

A Blood Ties Fan Fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the creation of Tanya Huff, and the masterpiece of Kaleidoscope Entertainment and Insight Films Inc.

Synopsis: This is a tribute to not only this show that I love, but also another well-known Canadian show that had us under its spell for 9 years – The X-Files. A monster that was the most hideous of creatures with my own spin on it comes to Toronto.

Author: angelsslave

Chapter One...

She entered the office, rain pouring off her leather jacket as she wiped the 18th century sword clean from the blood of a Borak Demon, before sheaving it once more and placing it back in her cabinet.

Moving swiftly, she uncorked the bottle of Irish whiskey sitting by her desk and poured a healthy glass of the amber liquid, downing it in one throaty submission, feeling the burning sensation scorch a pathway down her chest, as with controlled if not tired movements she entered her bedroom. Setting the bottle down on her bedside table after sloshing another generous measure into the glass held firmly in her hand, with the other she turned on the shower in her bathroom and closed the shower door. Allowing the steam to build up to just the right temperature to fog the glass and create a secluded, private escape from the outside world. It was then she looked in the mirror and glared at the reflection staring back at her.

Vicki Nelson had lost weight, lost sleep, lost sight, lost thought but most of all...lost the one person that had opened her eyes to the world, the real world around her. It had been one month, fourteen days and thirty-six hours give or take 'but who was counting' since Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of King Henry VIII had walked out of her life and slammed the door. The pain had turned to sorrow, the sorrow had turned to anger and the anger had turned to picking her sorry ass off the floor and channel the pain into revenge. Once happy that Coreen was recovering well and that Mike had successfully pleaded his case before the board, which found him with a six-month evaluation. Sitting behind a desk and writing up reports from the field to keep his nose squeaky clean and his badge returned – Vicki had found herself with a sense of deep darkening desire to rid the world of Asteroth finally.

The Demon had almost taken everything from her. Robbed her of all that she had come to rely on and expect, all that she had leaned against and loved, and now she had a thirst that could not be quenched until every demonic situation that was called for. That had hidden in plain sight for so long, was wiped off the face of the earth. With all of this had come sacrifices ones in which she had chalked to be necessary changes. She no longer worked strictly on cases involving stray husbands/wives and runaway teenagers, her client list more favoured supernatural activity that the Police would not handle. Using a scanner that Coreen had carelessly allow to fall into her bag during a trip to the downtown precinct, and tracking equipment that had been tweaked, thanking the years under car hoods as a teenager before the call of the force had wetted her appetite – Victoria Nelson, Private Investigator to the dammed was reborn.

It had taken all her will to train up on martial combat. Using a wealth of weaponry, she had been introduced to by Henry, and of course, and where she could obtain such fine medieval finery with the help of Henry's dearest friend Dr. Betty Sagara. Who was still angry with her for chasing Henry away, but was willing to help her in the most basic of Demon hunting. Ridding the world of the scourge of the earth now hidden in plain sight as a Priest, but who had an uncanny ability to attack Vicki from afar and draw her out more than just simply showing himself and let her have one clean shot at him, was not an easy task. In the process of getting closer to him, she had seen an increase in strangeness she no longer acknowledge as weird and creepy anymore. Tonight had been one of those nights when she had gone out, armed as usual to destroy a monster who fed of young virgin men past puberty. To bring forth life to the eggs that had been harvested to create a new species. Until Vicki had stumbled across the Borak's layer, killing both Demon and her children. Calling in the suspicious activity and the whereabouts of five young men with their lives sucked out of them like empty juice cartons. Making sure to remain anonymous of course. The further away she kept herself from the Homicide Division of the Met, the easier a life Mike Celluci would have.

So here she was, staring at the empty orbs of life that looked out from her thin face and damp hair, she had changed in so many ways since that night one month, fourteen days and thirty-six hours ago give or take 'but who was counting', all except her heart – that still remained in tatters. Peeling off her grey utilitarian t-shirt and flinging it unceremoniously into the clothes hamper, she winced and traced the jagged cut on her left shoulder. Oblivious at the time the Borak had taken a good swipe at her before she landed the fatal blow that cut the Demon and its various razor sharp wailing claws in half and returned it to its not so attractive albeit in two bits Waitress, at the local rave club 'Quintessence'. She had been feasting for weeks on unsuspecting young men just out for a good time – illegally of course and wound up as an entrée to her vicarious appetite. The cut stung but it was one more to strike up to the helpless and one less to burden the guilt she felt inside for unleashing this torment on Toronto.

Shedding herself of her remaining clothes, Vicki stepped into the steamy cubicle and lost herself in the sensations of a thousand hot needles of water raining down on her tired cold skin. Scrubbing hard, as if to wash of the scent of those poor unsuspecting men lying decayed and lifeless, she took a moment to run over the case once more inside her head as if typing out the report. She had been hired by the Club owner, Benjamin Price who had seen many of his regulars disappearing mysteriously over the last three months, not to mention some of his bar staff – all men and it seem to centre around a young Waitress from of all places Minnesota. Paying Vicki up front the five hundred plus a further five, adding that she had come highly recommended by one of his customers, Vicki had set up in search of this tempting waitress that had all the men's heads turned. She turned out to be the typical profile, long blonde hair, blue deep-set eyes, legs that went on forever – Henry's type. The mere mention of his name wretched her gut as she scrubbed down her arms and legs, avoiding the deep gash that was cleaning up nicely, proceeding to lift the bottle of Orchid and Vanilla shampoo and worked on her hair. The pain of missing Henry was not a place she wanted to go to right now, he had made his choice regardless of what she might have said to change his mind and it was something she was eventually going to have to live with. Turning the facet off, she reached over and grabbed her bath towel making sure it was secured tightly as she stepped out onto the tiled floor and downed the remainder of the glass sitting by the sink, a resolute salute to herself in the now steamed up mirror, "Here's to Vicki Nelson, Warrior Princess!"

She laughed at the irony of such a label and how she came about it as she made her way across her bedroom floor and into the living area to grab the half bottle of whiskey, when her cell phone rang from her leather jacket. Slipping her glasses on her nose, she went over and fished out of the inner pocket, sighing at the caller ID flashing – it was Coreen,

"This better be important Coreen, I was fixing on getting real drunk and passing out!"

The voice on the other end sounded as if it was somewhere really loud as a thudding beat drummed in the background, "W-What, what did you say Vicki I can't hear you over the music?" Vicki shook her head as she picked up her watch and squinted at the time, ten thirty early for Coreen to be out, "Never mind, what's up?" The line crackled a little and she could hear Coreen speaking to someone but trying to sound discreet, probably one of her perky Goth friends she liked to hang out with, only not so much now since she had returned to the land of the living from being Asteroth's un-dead Hell Bride, "Vicki you'll never guess what?" Coreen's voice sounded very much on the overly perky giddy side for Vicki's liking. It was nice that at least one of them was out having fun, "Coreen, I'm really not into guessing games right now, so can we just cut to the chase?" The line crackled once more, alerting Vicki to the idea that Coreen was somewhere that her cell phone was finding hard to reach and maintain a connection, "You'll never guess who I've seen?" the young Goth gushed on enthusiastically as if she had just seen Santa Claus. "Oh wait, Elvis is not dead, and has been living in Alaska for the last thirty years?" Vicki tried to had the bite in her voice but there were some days she wondered why on earth she had hired her in the first place, "No, don't be silly, besides he's dead – someone way more shocking than that!"

Vicki at this point wished that a sudden burst of lightening would burn down the cable connecting her phone to Coreen's because right now her whiskey looked more and more promising to be thrown at the nearest wall, "COREEN please, just tell me who it is so I can go back to wallowing in self pity?" Coreen seemed to take a breath before continuing, "Henry, Henry Fitzroy!"

It took all of Vicki's self-will not to sink to the floor at his name spoken on Coreen's lips, "W-What?" her Goth assistant giggled as the message had finally got through to her boss, "Yep he's here in the flesh so to speak, and looking just as...well...you know what I mean right?"

Vicki nodded at the phone as she willed her heart to stop beating so fast and her voice to return into her throat. With all that thankfully under control, she answered the question with another, "That's impossible Coreen; you know as well as I do that Henry's moved to Vancouver, how could he be here and where are you anyway?" Coreen laughed again as the phone line crackled once more, "I'm telling you Vicki it's him, I'm standing no more than three feet away from him at the new Dark Horizon's exhibition at the Royal Ontario, which incidentally is absolutely amazing, and has several pieces of Henry's work in it."

Vicki took in everything that Coreen was saying, and wished right now she hadn't set her glass down bereft of any liquid to quill her unsteady nerves, "He's there at an exhibition...has he seen you?" Coreen went silent, as if she was checking she was not being watched before answering, "I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen me Vicki, the place is really crowded seeing as it is the first night opening. Stefan says that the tickets are like gold and had sold out within the first hour of being issued...this is so-o cool!" Vicki cringed at the perky Goth and sometimes assistant when she bothered working, and tried to stop another panic attack erupting her already bothered emotionally state, "Coreen please whatever you do, just-just keep away from him okay? Do this one thing for me." Vicki took a deep breath hoping Coreen was at least half listening to her, "I don't want you going over and, I don't know! Over perking him with your ray of sunshine approach...or worse staking him."

Coreen laughed understanding what Vicki meant and promised she would go nowhere near Henry, and would avoid all situations of bumping into him. She finished the conversation by promising to fill Vicki in on all the gossip the following morning and bid her goodnight. As the phone line went dead, Vicki disconnected the call and threw her cell phone on the sofa. Turning she went to her bay window to look out at the darkened street below. She had done well surviving the last month, getting by each day thankful for it to end. Her cases had piled up and with the lack of all things Vampire; it had been a slow process. Marred by the lack of books that Henry possessed and who Coreen graved for, they had turned to Dr. Sagara in many ways for guidance. NOW to be told Henry is walking around downtown Toronto as large as life, well half-life and here she was in her home, injured from kicking Demon ass with not so much as a phone call from him to let her know he was here...

Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, growling with frustration at just how much her life sucked, Vicki intended to get really drunk and pass out.

* * *

Henry disliked the pompous display of kissing ass that seem to be a feature at these events. He preferred a more low-key approach to displaying his work, and longed for the night to end so he could feed. He looked across at his date for this dull and boring occasion, the stunningly beautiful if not superficial Candice. A model that inspired to be an Actress, and found that events like this to be full of potential money magnets that would pave her way to stardom. Downing back his whiskey, feeling the burn of it down his already parched throat, he tried to immerse himself into the almost comatose conversation at his left hand side. 

The last month and a half had been hell on earth for him for many reasons and they all began with a female – Victoria Nelson. He had walked away with his heart that once drummed in his chest broken in two. Never had he felt such pain, such loss, such anger directed at one person. Part of him ached to be there with her, another part of him, the beast that was caged deep down inside wanted to howl at the moon and ripped her apart limb by limb. He had many lovers over his four centuries of living on this earth as Vampire, but never had one woman obsess him, possess him as she did. Her hard-headed approach to life constantly put her in mortal danger, yet she took that risk and put her own life out there to be taken. He was angry with her for many reasons, mostly the fact she had sold herself to Asteroth by being seduced to the darkness he lived in. She had used Dark Magic to save him when he had warned her constantly of its consequences, yes he was still bitter but the worst thing she could ever have done was choose to another man over him.

The bitterness burned in his gut as his eyes darkened momentarily with anger that clawed at his throat and threatened to break free. He had walked away short of begging Vicki to come with him, he did not beg, plead yes but he would not beg for anyone even if it took all the strength in his body to stop Vicki walking out the door. He had made a promise to walk completely away; compromising a Vampire's territory forced a move that was expected, he did not have a choice in the matter. Unfortunately, the move had been delayed because of Asteroth's rising, forcing Henry to call Augustus and retain his apartment keeping his stay as low key as possible. Truth be told, there was no way he could go knowing that now Vicki's life was in even more danger, but had vowed to himself to keep away from her at all costs. That was until across the room no more than three feet away stood Coreen, trying to pretend she didn't see him while fumbling around in the smallest excuse for a bag, no doubt searching for her cell phone to let Vicki know she had seen him. He smiled at the bitter irony of it all, he knew there was no way Ms. Nelson Private Investigator extraordinaire would be seen caught dead 'bad choice of words' in a place like this but Coreen was always full of surprises.

Excusing himself from the tedious banter that was persistently annoying his over sensitive hearing, promising to a pouting Candice that he would be right back. Henry grabbed two glasses of champagne from a waiting tray and skilfully picked his way around the crowd without being seen.

Edgar Poole pulled at the stuffy collar that was restraining his breathing, as he dully waited for the stuffy guests to take glasses of champagne from his overly crowded tray. The loud thud of the music straining over the large overhead speakers in the Reception Hall of the Museum wailed in his ears, causing him to wince at the annoying sound. The night was dragging on and his concentration was at an all time low. He needed to feed before his strength would leave him, but the place was too open and would draw too much suspicion. He had already alerted enough of that with the demise of the overly stuffed Curator, Franklin Jones, but his hunger had cried out and would not be appease until he trawled the neighbourhood for an unsuspecting meal. The police had already been and interviewed the entire staff regarding the death. Luckily, for him no one had suspected a thing, other than possibly a robbery at the museum with dire consequences and had chalked it up to the new exhibition, Dark Horizons. Artistic differences possibly that lead to an argument that ended the Curator's life. It had bide him some time to quell in his hunger and act as unsuspicious as the rest of the waiting staff who had come in the day before the opening to set up for the champagne reception. Now his hunger cried out again and he had no way of hiding it as his breathing laboured and his skin itched in withdrawal, he needed to feed soon...

Coreen had done exactly as she promised Vicki, kept as much distance between Henry Fitzroy and herself. She had become pretty good at blending in with people thanks to specific training her Boss had been teaching her. Standing with her back to one of the largest sculptures in the exhibition of a werewolf devouring it's victim while her date, Stefan - an up and coming artist with some paintings on show had gone to get her a drink. That she did not sense Henry behind her until it was too late,

"Hello Coreen" his smooth silky voice drummed through her ears as she spun around, almost knocking the drinks from his hands, "H-Henry!" He smiled that devilish smile of his that forced her to swallow really hard and blink from being lost in those delicious blue orbs of his, "I-I did not know you were here?"

Henry smiled again, forgiving her for lying this once. Knowing Vicki, she probably made the girl promise not to let it be known he had been seen by her. "I thought you would like one of these?" he handed her a flute of champagne and watched as Coreen gulped a thanks and took a long swallow of the bubbly liquid before continuing, "I know you are pretending you haven't seen me, so let's cut this charade shall we?"

Coreen nodded not able to speak for a few seconds, seconds Vicki always welcomed, the twisted joke gnawed at his gut, "How is Vicki?"

He knew as soon as he said it, that it would provoke a response from her assistant. Little did he believe the response would be to have the half glass of champagne left in her hand thrown over him. Dripping with the cold liquid, reservedly he had deserved such an act of childishness from Vicki; he propelled Coreen by the arm into a place where they would not be disturbed. Coreen knew better not to create a disturbance, Henry was a very powerful enemy when annoyed, and she allowed him to take her into an alcove before she spun on him, wrenching her arm free, "How the hell do you think she is Henry? You walk away from her at a time when she needed you the most. Tell her you are moving to Vancouver with not as much as a 'look after yourself'. Pissed is the word I would use, but that's just it, she's not – she's worse!"

Henry counted to ten to allow Coreen's rant to subside before he responded, "Given the fact that Detective Celluci was there to help her lick her wounds, I would suspect anger yes, but she will get over it as will I!" Coreen blinked at him as if she had just awoken from a fog, "Mike! What has Mike got to do with all of this?" Henry felt his jaw lock at the mere mention of his name as he practically snarled at the still angry girl, "Vicki seemed very clear where her heart lay the last time we spoke. She choose staying with him than starting a new life with me!" the last words practically spat out on their own, as he allowed the beast howling inside him a sniff at the air constricting in his chest. He heard and felt laugh bitterly as she shook her head, "You guys are all the same, even in death you are struck dumb with being the macho one. Vicki did not pick anyone, she has not seen Mike in over a month. Right before you took off out of her life in fact!"

If anything would have floored Henry right on the spot, being told by Coreen that affectively both he and Celluci had walked out Vicki's life, "But she said, you were there Coreen!" Damn it he needed answers, "She told me she couldn't go because of Celluci..."

"She told you she couldn't go because of the mess she had made." Coreen tried to point out, "Vicki picked nobody Henry, and she couldn't leave knowing what mess Mike's life was in. Felt it was her duty to try to sort things out. Then tho and behold she was left on her own!"

Henry was reeling from the information he was still trying to process all at once. He had left a month ago, thinking that what he had, had with Victoria Nelson was dead, long gone. Now he was being told that what he thought was happening was further from the truth and wanted nothing more than to hit something really hard and howl from the pain it would cause. At this moment in time, his Princely behind really needed a good kicking and knew that given the chance, Vicki would most certainly get satisfaction from doing so. He was a Vampire yet right now, he felt like nothing more than dirt scraped off a shoe, "I had no idea, I thought she would be better off without me?"

"Oh she is believe me," Coreen replied without hesitation, "She's turned herself into a one woman war machine, incapable of any emotion. Do you know she goes out at night armed to the teeth with whatever she can get her hands on, deliberately searching for Asteroth?" Henry shook his head, still the same fearless Vicki, "He's too powerful for her that is what he wants!" Coreen nodded, "That's what she wants. She will not stop until he is sent back to hell, possibly her along with him. I should not be telling you all this, I've got to go my date will be wondering where I am." Coreen turned to leave Henry still wrapped in his own thoughts when he called out, vamping his voice and echoing his command,

"Stop!"

Coreen stopped in her tracks and turned around, her eyes void of emotion as she listened to his voice, "When we say goodbye you will not remember seeing or meeting me tonight. You will have an enjoyable night and drink far too much champagne. You will go into work tomorrow as if nothing has happened!"

His voice returned to normal as Coreen blinked then looked up and smiled, "Goodbye Henry, it was good to see you again." Henry nodded as he took Coreen's offered hand in his, "Goodbye Coreen, have an enjoyable night!"

He watched the young girl walk away in her garish gab of black and black and took a deep uneven ghost of a breath. There was just so much, he needed to think about and the night was almost upon him. First, he needed to feed and a quieter place than this to do so. Throwing back his glass of champagne, he returned to the crowded room and sought out Candice.

* * *

Mike Celluci was puzzled tremendously. The case Kate was assigned to just did not add up. The month he had been put on probation had offered up a clear signal that one more foul step and his badge would remain forever in the desk drawer of Captain Crowley. His punishment was to sit a desk job, doing rookie assignments like writing case notes for files that had been handed in by his friends in Homicide. It pissed him off but he knew it was better than being off the Force forever and he had been a second away from that happening. Thanks to Kate who had surprisingly stood up for him at his hearing, citing he had been overworked with cases that had too many untied ends and problems in his personal life but was a damn good Cop an it would be a tragedy to let him go, he had got off with a caution. Only later to find out that Vicki had also put up a fight against him being fired. He felt sadness at the thought of his friend/lover/co-worker and the largest problem this side of Toronto. He had no choice but to walk away from her, hell his life was about to take a nose dive into obscurity while she ran around with and un-dead blood sucking monster, who seem to capture what was left of her common sense and turn it into a freak show. 

He had tried to be patient with Vicki, he had known her long enough to understand the depth of her passion when it came to sticking up for the small guy and take the dirt that was still walking off the streets for good. Little did his imagination stretch to when it came to the unexplained and downright foolish, reliving the Hammer horror days when kids hid behind sofas and parents while watching a badly made, poorly acted monster show. Yet Vicki seem to thrive on it and to top that all off, bring him into the mess as well. Rubbing his tired eyes with his hands, he prayed that what he had in front of him was not another case of the supernatural and downright freakish. Having the disadvantage of not being allowed to work any cases for six months, and another review to see if he had kept himself clean was something that ate away at him on a daily basis. The only good side to it was that he was at least allowed to type up the reports leading to any ongoing investigations, although he input was not allowed, Kate had at least heard his suspicions to some of them below the radar of Crowley. The last one she worked had involved five missing young men with no clue to their whereabouts other than a club they all frequented – Quintessence. A call had come through with the location of all their bodies and a cut in half female who was tied to each of them. As weird as it sounded to him at the time when writing it, he had to congratulate the anonymous who called it in. They had given a full description of the person seen killing the poor misfortunate's and her whereabouts on each of the nights the men were taken. There was only one person he knew that was that articulate at given descriptions and times - and that was Vicki.

Right now, the case that was sitting in front of him bore all the hallmarks of yet another Vicki Nelson investigation and he groaned a despairing sigh at maybe 'keeping distance' was not going to work. Crowley would just crow at the idea of him contacting Vicki over information that he had. With Kate still sceptical at him giving his 'all' to the Met. He went over the ongoing case notes once more before typing them up. The Curator of the Royal Ontario Museum had been found in his office dead yesterday morning. No force of entry had been found and no signs of breaking and entering the Museum had been discovered – meaning it was possibly an inside job. The victim was found behind his desk in a pool of his own blood, with a great big hole in his lower body missing his liver, organs had been ripped apart to get to it. It had been in many cases a brutal murder, the victim died obviously from the violence of the attack and the injuries he had sustained from it. Kate had gone over the crime scene with a fine toothcomb so to speak. Interviewed all known suspects at the time, the museum staff and found them all co-operative and in shock from the discovery. The crime scene photos led to very little clues, the only thing strange about it was his door was locked when he was attacked. Something was missing something had been overlooked and he was damn well going to find out what it was. The Investigation angle was poor to say the least. Going on the assumption it was a tiff between the Curator and possibly one of the artists whose artwork was being displayed. Or possibly a lovers' quarrel, given the vicarious appetite that Franklin Jones had for young artistic men had sent Homicide in various directions to clear up the case as quickly as possible before the Press got a hold of it.

The Mayor of Toronto wanted the murderer caught, as Franklin had been a good friend of the family. He wanted to see justice done for the sake of the reputation of not only the museum, but also of Jones who had brought inspiration to the art world of Toronto. This case was going to be far from easy, given that tonight was the opening night of the Dark Horizon's Exhibition and he was still waiting for the list of Artist's, whose work was on display from Kate to add it to the file.

Dredging the last of his coffee from the cup, he set about sending an email with a bogus online account to an Investigator, who he knew would eat her own hand off before rejecting the case.


	2. Chapter 2

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Two...

His hand elongated until he could feel the inside of the pipe and with forced measured stretching, his body followed slowly but deliberately behind. He could hear her, just beyond the wall of the bathroom could sense the urgency ringing through his blood for food. Her voice was singing a toneless tune, as she went about her business of washing up after visiting the toilet. Not long now as his fingers gripped the grate that opened out into the bathroom water pipe system. His head moved in first, with his body that had changed to accommodate the thinness of the pipe slithered in behind him. She had her back to him, applying makeup at the overhead mirror, with bold clashing strikes of black crayon above chocolate brown eyes. He felt the hunger and his blood singing in his ears as he brought himself up slowly to his former height, a voice from beyond the door called out, "Charisma are you going to be all night in there, supper is getting cold?" The girl turned in the direction and called out, blind to what had moved up behind her, "Coming Mum, I will be down in a minute!"

Now was the time to strike as the girl returned to her administrations, a snarl moved forward into Edgar Poole's mouth as he was noticed for the first time and a guttural piercing scream echoed into the darkened night. The door of the bathroom rattled and banged, only adding more delight to his meal as with one plunge, he silenced the dish he was about to eat, served warm and appetising her body slumped against her only way out.

* * *

Vicki's head hurt, no wait it didn't hurt, it was beyond hurting as she threw two pills into her dry patched mouth and drank greedily from the bottle of water, before reluctantly letting it go and setting it on the desk in front of her. She had miserably drunk a full bottle of her favourite Irish whiskey and was now suffering the after effects of getting wasted, alone. Except her mood had not been helped by her assistant in the next room, suffering the same effects with no clear indication of what had happened the night before. She had attended the first night of the Dark Horizon's Exhibit but after that, everything had become a little fuzzy, brought on by too much vintage champagne and very little else.

"Damn you Henry to hell!" Vicki spat to herself, as she held her thumping head in her hands. He had done a number on Coreen to make her forget she had seen him. His Vampire mojo once again proved useful on the slow minded who wilfully gave into his overbearing charms, and if she was not feeling so sorry for herself right now, there would be a stake waiting for him tonight with his name on it. That wasn't strictly true, she wouldn't kill him just because Coreen was stupid enough to allow him to vamp her out, by removing whatever memories she had stored in her pretty Goth head. Unlike herself, Coreen was a victim to Henry's power to make people do anything against their will, so she was once again right back at square one. Henry was in town and hadn't bothered the decency to let her know, never mind find out where he was staying. Surely his move would have offered up his apartment to another tenant who liked living under reinforced window blinds, just in case the sun proved too bright in the early morning? Her first port of call was to ring the luxurious condo block and find out if his name was still on the residence list, but first...

An email had intrigued her beyond anything. Anonymously wrote, it offered up a case that she might be interested in. One body with distinguishing homicide traits worthy of a detective, who liked investigating the bizarre and sometimes downright freaky. How could she refuse such a tasty opening when her last case had proved to be worth the time and energy she had put in catching the perpetrator. The photos attached looked grim to say the least. There was only one person who she knew could shed some light on how the body had come to be left in this state, and that was where she intended to head. As soon as her head decided to become part of her body once more.

Detective Kate Lam had seen some pretty bizarre things in her time, but this recent case had opened up some really disturbing thoughts as to just who the hell would be breaking and entering into private homes and removing organs, before slipping back out showing zero signs they had ever been there. This was the second case involving such a crime. The first being the recently deceased Curator of The Royal and now a twenty-three year old female. Whose body was found on her bathroom floor by her distraught mother, who had heard her daughter's scream and had tried in vain to gain access to the not only locked door, but blocked by her daughter's body. The poor woman was now being comforted by her husband who was working the nightshift at the nearby power plant – already checked out as being there between the hours of eleven-thirty and two am. Scribbling notes in her pad, she chewed her lower lip and frowned from the sudden realisation that this could well end up as a serial killer case with no links to the museum, as this girl did not work there but the local diner on the east side of town. Crowley wanted the case rapped up as quickly as possible, already the Press where getting too close for comfort as the boyfriend of Franklin Jones had gone to the papers pleading his lover's killer was caught. So much for keeping things as low key as possible she thought dryly. There was one possibility and as stupid as it sounded, one female's name sprung to mind as was quickly extinguished. Crowley would have her badge as well, not to mention bringing Mike and she back into the picture, and there was no way on earth she was going to let her ruin completely his already tarnished career.

It had been close for him, he had risked everything to help his one time lover, and yeah it was all over the station how much they had been involved, she wasn't completely stupid. Had it not been for she and Dave Graham and a handful of others, Mike would be signing the dotted line by now, loosing not only his job, his badge, his career but also his pension from the Force. Dismissing her wandering thoughts she needed to head back and hand in her report to Mike who was now sitting a desk job for the next six months. Yes it sucked but at least he was still there and still working. Minus his issued fire arm and a black dot against his badge, pending a weekly report done on him by not only the Psych. department but also Crowley who was gunning for his dismissal.

* * *

Dr. Rajani Mohadevan was typing in the notes of her recent autopsy, when Vicki entered the room. Looking up and smiling at her friend, she closed down the report and removed her glasses, "I was wondering when you would show, I was beginning to think I had done something wrong to offend you?"

Vicki smiled back at the Medical Coroner as she took her glasses off and pinched her nose, willing the remains of her hangover to subside, "I've been keeping low out of Crowley's sight lest she burn me at the stake for interfering with police reports." Rajani smiled nodding, she has heard what had happened to Mike Celluci and offered up a friendly pat on Vicki's back and she moved to one of the two covered gurneys in the middle of the room, "Between you and I, things have been a bit tense here, what with I.A looking into everything, but no matter what can I do you for?"

Vicki had always liked Rajani's no nonsense attitude, that's why they had always got along, both professional and personally, "I need your advice on something that just happened to land in my inbox this morning, something over and above reality so to speak?" Rajani gave a wink and a nod to what Vicki was talking about, indicating she had been waiting for her to call, "The Curator and his missing liver ring any bells?" Vicki looked surprised and nodded as Rajani pulled the cloth down from one of the bodies, " Alarmingly yes, you never cease to amaze me in reading my mind?" looking at the now sewn up grey body lying stretched out, "That's because I had just finished with the second victim no more than an hour ago." Vicki looked up at the doctor, a sudden rush of homicide training, "A serial killer?" again Rajani nodded, "Meet twenty-three year old Charisma Norris, found by her mother on the bathroom floor of their family home. No forced entry, just like our first victim Franklin Jones, both died of severe trauma, caused by excess bleeding and liver removal."

Vicki read the report that Rajani handed to her, including how they were found, "You said no forced entry, then how the hell did they die?" Rajani pulled the cloth of the second victim down, revealing a pretty red haired girl, tanned skinned and healthy looking. Too young to be found on a coroner's table, "Ah this is how it becomes interesting, although you will never see this in my finished report. Both were found the same way, locked room with no visible entrance to the outside. Franklin was found face down in his office in the basement with no window and no access to a stairwell, except an elevator with CCTV running twenty-four hours, we have already gone over the tape with no one seen entering or leaving except Mr. Jones himself." Vicki nodded, allowing Rajani to press on, "His body suffered excruciating trauma with one visible entry. Just here below the lower end of stomach, and straight to his liver which is now missing." Vicki made a retching sound as her stomach flipped from having to deal with the sordid details on a still full head of Whiskey, "Go on, I'm good," seeing Rajani's concern over her condition, "Had a fight with some booze last night and the booze unfortunately won, I'll be fine in a minute, please continue."

Rajani nodded with an all knowing smile, "The second victim Charisma same fate. Inside a home with only her mother and she there, the bathroom was on the upper floor with both window and door locked from the inside. Same trauma to the body, same organ removed. Only this time she was not alone, her mother heard her scream." It made the second one even more tragic than the first. Franklin Jones was a business man in his late forties, but Charisma had her whole life ahead of her, "What has homicide offered up as an explanation for their deaths?" Vicki couldn't help but stare at the young girl lying on the table, her future cut short by something unimaginable. Rajani gave her a wry smile as she went back over to her desk and produced another file, "I shouldn't be giving you this but it came down here this morning by a certain Detective also with a keen interest on the case." Vicki knew immediately who her friend was talking about and bit back a taste of irony in his methods of still trying to catch the bad guys. She also knew in her heart that it was he who had sent her the anonymous email. They may not be on speaking terms anymore, but at least the detective in both of them agreed that catching this killer would put a stop to anymore victims.

"Inside you will find what has been investigated so far. I was asked to look into any distinguishing features between the two victims, to see if there were any similarities in the pattern of their injuries." Vicki nodded as she immersed herself in the findings of one Detective Kate Lam, "And?"

Rajani smiled as she folded her arms across her chest, loving the knowledge that she was so well respected, "Both victims had been eviscerated with not a tool or instrument so to speak. The pattern around the other organs crushed in getting to the liver, suggests a human hand."

Vicki groaned as she placed the file she had been given safely inside her woollen coat. She had a feeling that when the killer was caught, was not going to be someone that could be placed on any offenders most wanted list. Thanking Rajani for the friendly chat, Vicki let herself out the same way she came. Avoiding any suspicion of her location and made it onto the sidewalk were her taxi cab sat waiting. Asking to be returned to her home and office, she sat back and mulled over the findings in the Coroner's report. It definitely sounded hinky no two ways about it, but just what was the motive? As much as she didn't want to think on the elements of yet another supernatural case, a lot of things just didn't add up. Coreen would be put to use locating any known sources relating to the removal of livers or other vital organs, while she did some investigating of her own. First stop The Royal Ontario.

Heading back to her office, she found Coreen with her head resting on her laptop fast asleep. Typical just when she needed her to find out a way of getting into the Museum tonight without a ticket. The thought brought her to the other nagging issue running around with a jackhammer inside her head – Henry Fitzroy.

She had called the overly priced apartment block and asked if he was still registered as a resident, and to her surprise he was. At least he hadn't let out his condo, which means he had either lied to her about leaving, or he choose to keep it just in case he came back. She wasn't too sure which one she was mad at the most, the not leaving or not letting? Her greater need to find out any clues to this vile monster running around doing makeshift autopsies on victims who had no need for their liver anymore, drove her anger into positive research as she went into all her years of police training mode and began making arrangements to get one of the sought out tickets to the Dark Horizon's exhibit.

An hour later and still no luck. She had all but used every trick in the book, only to be told the same thing – all sold out. Hearing movement outside her door she called for Coreen, who appeared rather sheepishly apologising for falling asleep, "Hey just don't expect me not to dock it from your pay!" Vicki responded dryly and at seeing Coreen's shocked makeup smudged face, shook her head and waved her hand absently in the air, "Kidding Coreen. If I was to do that every time you fell asleep at your desk, you would be going home with considering less than you actually earn." She could see the cogs trying to process this information inside her assistant's head, and pressed on ahead in case she actually made sense of what was said, "Do you know off hand if Stanley, Steven..." trying desperately to remember Coreen's date's name, "Stefan, his name is Stefan Miller!" interjected Coreen nodding as Vicki looked up, "AH, Stefan, good name by the way," she replied trying to erase the begging tone from her voice, "He's one of the artists whose work is on display right?" with a nod from Coreen she pushed on, "Is there any chance he can score me a ticket for tonight's exhibit?" she hoped that Coreen would say yes. As other than breaking and entering, which would be more than risky? Considering the amount of security that would be on the place following the Curator's death, Vicki had exhausted every other avenue of getting in.

Coreen went back out to her desk and locating her bag, she fished inside it's small compartment until a blue card was slipped out from inside. Returning with it held in her crimson painted nails hand, "No need, this will get you into the whole week it is showing." She handed it over to Vicki, a worried frown on her face, "But Vicki aren't you worried about bumping into Henry. I mean, you're still pissed over him making me forget he was there. So maybe this is not a good idea..." Vicki dismissed her with a wave of her hand as she read the embossed invitation, "I will be in and out before he knows it. One thing spending an entire year working alongside a Vampire – I have mastered the art of being stealthy!" Her young assistant folded her arms across her chest, already foreseeing it ending badly, "You really believe that Vicki, because I don't. He got one on me and I was doing everything you told me to. Staying out of sight, mixing with other people and he still found me." Vicki grinned as she walked around her desk, slipping one of the volumes that Betty had given her back into her bookcase and biting her tongue from what she really wanted to say, "I hopefully won't have to do any 'said' mingling but get in, locate Franklin Jones office and look for the clues that the Police did not find. In and out no problem!"

Coreen shook her head as she turned on her heels and went back to her desk. Denial was such a wasted thing to argue about, considering Vicki's idea of always being ahead of the game, "Don't say I didn't warn you!" her whisper she knew would not be heard but it felt appropriate to announce it anyway.

Edgar awoke with a groggy buzzing inside his head, his last meal had left him more lethargic than energetic. With the generation today fulfilled their lives on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, he had to be more choosy on what he picked to renew his energy. The girl he had followed home from a fast food place and had struck when he knew she would be alone. He didn't see the hidden syringe until it was too late, considering the racket her mother was making just outside the door. Tasted the alcohol as soon as he digested and felt the compulsion to vomit up the contents of his gut, but knew that doing that would deplete him of the sustenance he needed. His time was limited and would be wasted looking for the perfect candidate, when he could put all his renewed energy to better use. His home was near completion and with only another three more nights of this god awful exhibit to run, he would endeavour to feed well and look out anyone or anything that would compromise his identity. His lapse in concentration had almost got him caught in his last lifetime, fifty years had passed and he could still recall the face of the Law Officer's face. He sneered at the memory, lost in his need to regenerate had proved that being sloppy was not the best course when you have trained federal agents breathing down your neck. That's when he decided he needed to move, Detroit had been his home for a hundred years and nothing or no one had placed him at any of the incidents they reported. He had kept his nose clean, the perfect figure of society. He had never needed to be stopped or questioned as he mingled amongst others completely invisible. One person had proved a bother though. He was too suspicious, too calculating at finding out information about him that was not or ever needed. Edgar had found himself having to watch his steps, because everywhere he turned...Special Agent Dylan McDermott was right behind him.

Breathing in deeply, Edgar rose and stretched the kinks out of his back and shoulders. His body moved fluidly as he emerged out of his secluded home. Not long now before he would return back inside, sealing up his cocoon for another fifty years. Toronto wasn't so bad after all, he once again felt safe, once again he blended into obscurity. With no one bothering to know who he was, or what he did. This time his need to feed would prove both delicious and delightful.

* * *

Checking her watch for the god knows how many times now, Vicki kept going back to her reflection in the full length mirror of her closet. Pulling once again at the skirt of her black dress, the one that had been hidden in the back of her wardrobe from her last outing into the world of art. A bitterness weld in her gut as she recalled Henry's face at seeing her for once dressed like a woman than her comfortable jeans and T. His comment still resounded in her ears and his intention that was laced in his response as she flippantly waited for him to joke about her appearance, 'You're beautiful'. Vicki snorted now at the very idea that he found her attractive, that he had made her feel like a teenager again at her very first Prom ball. Little did she know that several months later he would be walking out of her life for good.

So long to the notion he found her more appeasing than the other blond name forgetting bimbos he preferred chowing down on, his loss. Straightening once more the skirt that kept riding up her legs, she slipped her glasses on her face. With one last look, Vicki grabbed her long coat and with pocket torch, night stick, and small clear plastic bags, just in case she found any evidence. She closed her office and heading down to the patiently waiting cab outside her home.

He found the second night as tedious as the first. Not one to have to mingle with society, Henry walked slowly through the vastly crowded Exhibit Hall, smiling and nodding to those who stopped him long enough to praise his work. His agent had called, brimming with happiness as four of his paintings had sold, generously over the asking price. At least his commission would increase and that would keep him off Henry's back, long enough to ignore the deadline that was quickly approaching for his latest Blood Price Novel. Sipping iced water he surveyed the smartly dressed guests chatting and socialising amongst themselves. Felt the headiness of the blood that beat along their veins and welcomed the sedated feeling inside, as he had taken the liberties of feeding before he arrived.

Last night had proven a bit of a headache at seeing Coreen and the boring conversation he had to endure with Candice, before sending her home without any knowledge she had been with him. He didn't like what he did to Vicki's assistant, considering all that she had recently gone through, but simply felt he had no other choice. Pain was still present in his heart and he knew no matter what, he would have to move on with life. Keeping distance had proven worse than just simply moving away. At least in Vancouver he would be able to go away and lick his wounds, howl in distain at being made feel his affections had been, if nothing one sided. Here, his was Vicki's world, she owned everything he looked at, felt and embraced. Until meeting her he had claimed this city as his own. Had led a very secure life, rich in all its diversities and cultures. No one needed to know his business and he never interfered in theirs. Life had been simple, unrelenting...boring. Then she came into his life and all at once things changed, some for the better, others for worse. He had never felt that being in someone's life held a greater importance than being in Vicki's had proved. As much as he tried to kid himself that her rejections did not dent his pride. Seeing the look of fear on her face when he had asked her to move away with him, had shown that it wasn't because she didn't like him, but more to the reason that she was simply afraid. He could understand that fear, note that not everyone was willing to accept the monster he was, the Prince Vampire had roamed many generations having humanity touch him briefly, before moving or dying away. He had many lifetimes to live, and could not co-exist in them with a woman whose love was torn between two men.

Coreen's comment had come as a blow to him when she announced that Celluci had not been in touch with Vicki either. What cruel hand of fate was playing with him when the last thing he needed was to be wounded again? He had derived from their last meeting that Victoria Nelson had chosen the human over him, had walked away with what little pride he had left, only now to find out it was all in vain. Had he held on that little bit more, he would have listened to her with greater attention than to scorn her in anger and found out her answer before it was too late. Biting with dismay he turned to something in the air. His senses came alive as one by one sound and scents made a pathway for one particular fragrance. A scent that was both intoxicating and infuriating at the same time. A heart that beat a steady rhythm, power and determination singed along the veins as his nostrils flared just as his eyes focused on the face.

Standing in the doorway of the Museum, in a dress that clung to every curve hidden by drab shirts and even drabber jeans. Hair pile high on top of her head, showing the expanse of glowing pale skin stretched along a long column of throat that made his fangs spring to life behind his lips. She looked around, drinking in the atmosphere as her pulse hitched slightly, surveying in complete detective mode. Senses alert to any danger that might lie hidden within the walls of this modern building, she was a force not to be reckoned with. Completely in control of all she surveyed, Henry marvelled at how much she lit up a room just standing in it. Power was a seductive pill that he fully understood, and yet she had it without even knowing it. He knew she was checking to see if she had been seen, possibly looking for him he chuckled, as he stood just behind one of the marble columns on the other side of the stairway. Her face relaxed slightly, happy no one had noticed her, before he noted turning on high black heels, showing off the slim muscled tone of her calves and going right.

Part of him welled at the idea of seeing her here and curious of just what she was up to? A case perhaps, he certainly did not see a date on her arm, so she wasn't here on a social visit. The other part of him howled and rattled the cage of anger he had kept locked shut for over a month. The part that wanted to tear her limb from limb for having him in this state of perplexed purgatory. Weighing up the pros and cons of the situation was not something he did and he most certainly was not going to start now. Descending the stairs he took the offered obligatory glass of vintage champagne. Thanking the pale looking green eyed and in dire need of a bath waiter, who stood a little beyond the shadows and made his way slowly but deliberately in the direction that Vicki had taken. The game was on, the hunter had just become the hunted.

Edgar watched the young man leave with the offered glass from his tray. Something was different about his vitals that he could not place. He seemed healthy, certainly his liver would offer up a more enjoyable meal than the one the night before but there was something else that made his mouth water even more. He had a life force that zinged with no human traces, not like him but a completely different DNA altogether. A creature that walked at night, again not like he but more primal in its hunt. Edgar grinned and felt the pulse thicken beneath his skin. A meal that offered itself not only with more delightful ingredients, but an energy and power greater than his own, held his appeal more than anything else in the room. About to set down his tray and follow this tempting morsel, Edgar felt his arm being pulled as he was spun around, anger surged forward and was quickly trampled down and Nancy's face loomed into his own, "Where the hell do you think you're going? You heard Nigel, one more slip up and you're fired!"

Edgar's pulse slowed down as his focus came back and his heart laboured angrily, "S-Sorry, I was just going to go to the bathroom." Nancy's dark hair bounced as she shook her head, "No way, not now Edgar. We are two waiters down tonight, you'll have to wait until break time." She had befriended Edgar when he had got the job and for all intentions purpose, she could so easily have been his first meal, had he not he found her attention to him sweet and compassionate. Resigning to losing his chance at tasting what the young man had to offer up, but knew he was one of the artists at this exhibition and would be around to the very end. Edgar nodded sullenly at Nancy and followed her back into the crowd, offering out drinks and counting down the hours until closing time.

Getting into Franklin Jones' office was a fairly simple procedure. The area had been cordoned off with the regular yellow and black crime tape, other than that, the place held an air of 'keep away at all costs'. Once inside his room, she scanned the place with her trusty pocket torch that was hidden well in the garter she had purposely put on underneath her gown. Batman had a utility belt – Vicki Nelson had a reinforced garter that housed a small torch and her night stick, what else could be simple?

Locking the door behind her, in case someone decided to visit the scene of the crime, she moved slowly in and behind the large mahogany desk, noting the still chalk drawing of the deceased – indicating that the place had not been cleaned since the awful discovery. Hoping that homicide had done a thorough enough job and sweeping for clues, she set about doing her own line of investigating. Her sight was poor but her hunches always proved fruitful as she spied by casting a glow of light over the dark blue carpet, something shinning by the bookcase in the left hand corner. Slipping the torch into her mouth, she took out a small plastic bag, again from the lifesaver of a garter that housed small tweezers – something a girl should always carry and bent down to inspect the silvery slither of what looked like metal. How curious that this wasn't detected before when forensics had gone over the place? Vicki shook her head and remarked dryly to herself, "You just can't get good detectives anymore, you're getting sloppy Kate." It was then she looked for any signs why minuscule pieces of metal should be lying on the floor, and noticed the grill to the air con vent directly above her head. Standing she took the torch and shown it around the metal grill. Noticing first of all a finger print just to the left of a missing screw, from which the shreds possibly came from and something else.

It looked green in colour, glistening just at the grills edge. Taking her tweezers, she scraped at the sticky substance until she got enough on the metal point, and juggling with her torch she was able to retrieve another small bag and scrape what she could onto the edge of it. Rajani would set to work finding out just what it was in no time, and that offered up some comfort to be standing in the middle of an office, in the middle of a crime scene, dressed like she was ready to party all night. Feeling rather pleased with herself, Vicki put away the small bags and her torch, deciding she had wasted enough time snooping around and needed to get out in case she was detected, when a deep voice behind her rooted her feet to the floor,

"Not exactly the type of outfit you normally used to wear breaking and entering?"


	3. Chapter 3

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Three...

It took all the self will she had not to crumble right there in front of him. Slowly she turned around only to be sucker-punched in the gut at just how well he looked. Standing, leaning lazily in the doorway of the office, which he had soundlessly unlocked, Henry Fitzroy all cocky and self assured smiled, showing off what he always called his best feature – gleaming teeth over a handsome shaped mouth. Good one Vicki, let's not lose it right there, she mentally kicked herself before placing her hands on her hips and giving him a see if I care look, "Didn't you know this is all the rage for us private investigators these days. Day and evening outfits makes us blend into the crowd that much easier!" she saw Henry smile slightly, not fooled by her bravado one bit as he removed his frame from the door to close it behind him, a glass of bubbling champagne held deftly in one hand. Darn she must have broke into a place where he was planning to make use of a conquest, pity she had to ruin it for him she almost felt sorry for the girl, almost.

"Not even you Vicki can go un-noticed in a place as big as this, remember I can sense you when you are around." He held out the glass for Vicki to take, she almost willed herself not to throw it in his too handsome face, but hey if it was as expensive as the cost to host an exhibit in this place – better she enjoy it's vintage than waste it on a cleaning bill he would most definitely charge her for, "Shouldn't you be keeping this for your date, I'm sure she would much rather prefer sharing it with you than having me enjoy it on her behalf?" she couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice and rejoiced gleefully at hitting a nerve with him, seeing that all too familiar tick that appeared at his jaw.

Henry was not wounded for long, as he stood opposite her dressed in a dark jacket and crisp white shirt that seemed to make his skin glow even paler, "I am not missed if that is what you are worrying about. I saw you come into the place and decided that your company outplayed any of the other mundane females that tried to gain my attention." His smile then was almost feral as she almost choked on the only sip she had taken, "Nice move you did on Coreen by the way. You wasted your time though, she had already filled me in on your visit", she almost laughed at the irony of the situation. If she has been visiting a shrink, her closure to her former life and her former association with Henry, would have been deemed as immensely cathartic, "You should have stopped by Henry, we could have caught up on old times, when do you go back?"

She allowed the slow satisfaction of knowing he had never left sit well in her stomach, and decided two could play the game of cat and mouse. After all, he had taught her well, she mused as she watched under heavy set lashes his approach. Self assured, calculating, virile and all completely at ease with the situation. Hoping her heartbeat did not betray her and forcing another sip of champagne passed her parched lips, Vicki watched him with all the coolness she could muster. Anger was a fantastic emotion to clean away all self doubt that had ridden her ass since his departure, she felt a sense of heightened senses watching the many emotions play on his face as he spoke, "My work is here for the week as I am sure Coreen has undoubtedly told you, but just what are you doing here Vicki?" he mused as he walked slowly but deftly towards her, "Surely not for me as you made it perfectly clear the last time we met, that my interference in your life was not needed anymore?" Her eyes betrayed her, even if she tried to put up a barrier of indifference and that left Henry intrigued as to why she would do such a thing.

Spending a year in the company of a woman who had trust issues, taught him that she could be blinded by her own emotions but open to others around her. She was playing a game with him and although under normal circumstances he would bore from being made feel like a puppet to be played with, Vicki could always bring out the best and worst of him. This time she was wounded by what had happened between them during their last encounter and he welcomed that because he was pretty much wounded himself, "Well you see Henry, that's where you and I beg to differ!" she threw back as she set the glass on the table, now empty yet the thirst it was meant to quench did not go away, "You had made it perfectly clear that my involvement with you was at its end. The whole not being able to forgive me for saving your four hundred plus behind, not to mention when the going got tough you got going..."

"I asked you to come with me Vicki," Henry argued seeing the anger flash in her beautiful blue eyes, "NO, Henry you asked me to choose, you or Mike! I couldn't just walk away at a time when he needed a friend to lean on..." Henry bit back a bitter laugh at the comment, "He needed a friend so much that he hasn't spoken to you in a month. Really Vicki, was that the only reason. Or is there something I have left out?" It was then she slapped him hard across the cheek. He felt the pain sting his skin and reverberate through his jaw as the caged beast roared inside him – bad move Vicki. She couldn't help herself he had pushed her one scathing comment too far.

Yes he deserved rightfully to be angry at her but she was not going to get into an argument over who was right and who was wrong. Mike made the decision to keep his distance and she reluctantly accepted he needed to save what little there was left of the situation he had been forced to deal with. They were unfortunately at a crossroads in life, both hurting and not willing to blame each other. Henry on the other hand had been out of line. Her hand had rose before she could stop herself and heard rather and seen, it cracking across his smarmy righteous face. Heard the intake of breath whooshing from her lungs and a deep growl roar from his lips, as he grabbed her by the throat. Exposing her neck to his anger as his eyes darkened and the monster within release itself, "Very few in my lifetime have ever struck me and lived to tell the tale. You push very close Victoria to be yet another statistic." Vicki could feel his darkened eyes bore deep into her own. His hold on her neck was not tight, but the very fact that his anger sat just below the surface gave her enough knowledge to know it wouldn't take much for him to snap it in two. She tried in vain to reach for her stick below her skirt but the angle he had her in did not allow for much movement, "Is this how you want it to end Henry? Go on I deserve it. I was the one who wounded your pride." Her bravery might be a long shot or a really bad idea. Either way she had a lot to lose in being stupid enough to attack a Vampire and not expect him to return it in kind, "You wanted me to beg you not to go! Why should you listen to me, when you had made it perfectly clear your mind was already made up?"

He wanted to howl with anger, he wanted to rip her apart and feel the release of the pain he had been carrying inside of him. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and chase away the insecurity in her shaky voice, with a promise that she would never feel like that ever again. He closed his eyes and willed the caged animal inside of him to surpass long enough to release the hold on her neck. Too easily he could have given in to that most - darkest of places, and ended this torturous agony once and for all. As much as his demonic side would have relished in devouring that pain, and milking the satisfaction of seeing her crumpled body lie on the floor. His humanity would not allow him to touch one hair on her golden head, "My safety had been compromised. I had vowed to protect you, a vow I could not fulfil when I couldn't even protect myself from his re-birth!" he sounded lost, for the first time Vicki sensed despair in his voice. She knew he was referring to Asteroth and the reincarnation of his glorious reawakening into the world, possessing a Priest whom Henry had known and who had trusted him with his life.

Moving back, she sensed his complete withdrawal from her, and took a much needed breath and she reached out to touch the desk for support. Henry looked broken, for that briefest of touches she had felt the anger he kept locked inside of him. The immense power of this Vampire had fought many wars and witnessed many atrocities, yet to win a war against her – a human? He would wilfully lie down and expose his throat to a fatal attack, "It wasn't your fault Henry, and Asteroth would have taken form with another anyways. He had tried to pit us against each other, psychological warfare, weaken our senses..."

"You chose Coreen's life over breaking the pact he had over you!" Henry's face rose and glared at her then, a battle still waging a war inside of him, "those marks would be gone and your blood pact with him destroyed. You chose to save her instead of saving yourself..."

"What did you want me to do Henry?" Vicki felt her throat constrict and burn with the emotion she had denied herself since he had left, "selfishly allow Coreen's life to mean nothing, while he held so much in the balance? If you knew me at all, then you would understand that, that would have never been an option." She felt the tears sting her eyes as she gathered her torch in her hand and swiped at a stray tendril that had escaped from her neatly coffered hair, "A man once told me that what separated humanity from the darkness, was the choices we made. He had spent lifetime's chosen the path he went along, prided himself in still being able to hold on to the last threads of his own humanity - than give in to the evil that lives inside him." Vicki shook her head as she made her way past Henry and towards the closed office door, stopping one last time to look at his back before retreating. Saddened that the month they had spent apart had done nothing to the issues that still hung in the air, like a noose waiting for its next victim, "I always believed he spoke the truth. Accepted his wealth of understanding of what separated us all from the beast...pity they were empty words with no real meaning..."

"Vicki!"

His voice held command, yet Vicki didn't want to hear what poor excuse he would come up with now, "It's been nice bumping into you Henry, I'd better be going. I've got what I came for tonight...in more ways than one." Turning the handle, she was almost out the door when his voice called after her, "I haven't moved away. I stayed to make sure Asteroth wouldn't go near you without me knowing. If you need anything..." she felt his battle behind her and didn't dare to turn around, frightened of what she might see, "You know where to find me."

His words held emotion, and much as she would not let her heart break again, it did in shreds as she escaped into the confines of the elevator. Taking deep breaths she punched the button for the lobby floor and prayed he would not follow her. Like a wounded animal she would return home to the safe walls of her apartment, lick her wounds and get on with life.

Edgar watched in despair as the young man returned to the reception area and asked for his coat. He was leaving on the tail of a tall blond woman whom Edgar had seen pique the interest of the young man earlier that evening to follow her. Of all his rotten luck, the one dish that would have been a delightful addition to his failing health was walking right out the door with no way of him knowing where he lived. Trampling down his bitterness, as it caused his strength to waver on the brink of total shut down. Edgar resigned himself to the knowledge, that he would have to find another source of nourishment tonight and fast. Breathing deeply, he forced his saliva glands to try and relax. Controlled his heartbeat slow enough, so his sweat glands would not betray that there was anything wrong with him. His desperation only added to his already anxious state. The last thing he wanted to do now was loose focus on his goal. Three more meals, just three more and he would be able to sleep. Rest in total seclusion of being found for another fifty years. His ancient body cried out of the rest. The perpetual slumber that would regenerate him once more, and allow him to awaken with the hunger to feast on the next generation.

Smiling at the idea, made his next target more appeasing to his eye. The young man would have to wait. As much as his life-force drew Edgar towards him, he knew it was only a matter of time before he would see him again. Three more nights where left of the exhibit, three more attempts at getting eternal salvation from having to hibernate. Hidden from the world like a mole, forced to live in the dark when the sun offered so much heat and comfort. Everyone's heart beat sung at once around him. He was standing in the middle of a gigantic buffet with idle pickings at who would be next.

Mike yawned and stretched the kinks out of his hunched shoulders that yelped in pain as he rose. Tossing yet another empty coffee cup into his already full trash bin, offered up no sense of achievement. As the writing in front of him had grown ever more blurry with each passing hour. He looked at his wristwatch and groaned, two am in the morning and still the proverbial hunch gnawed at his gut, keeping him awake. The nightshift had allowed admittance into records, that now being labelled as the 'cop who burnt out and was now a rookie' could go into, and dig up files of past solved and unsolved case. A job he would have normally given to the desk pushing wet behind the ears 'newbie's' straight from Police Academy. Oh how the mighty had fallen, Mike mentally kick himself, as he searched for clues hidden in cases as young as ten years, right up to fifty and beyond. Trying to shed light on the two recent homicide victims found with organs missing.

He had heard from a friend of his fathers that the FBI had been on a case matching with the same M.O. and had almost caught a guy fitting the description of someone who was a social outcast in Detroit. He had delved into any information the Bureau was willing to divulge, not a single thing had come back. They had reported it as dead case and had it shelved, following the retirement of the Special Agent who had directed the ongoing investigation. Mike's father was able to use his influence for his son, and track down a field Agent who had worked alongside the Agent assigned to the case back in 1958. From there he was able to give Mike the name of the Agent, now retired but still living in Detroit, in a retirement home for ex service men and women of the Bureau.

It had seemed the Agent had got a reputation for going after the strange and unresolved. The last case had proven to be by far, the hardest he had worked on. A case that had spanned most of his FBI career. Obsessed had been another name given to his constant vigilance over a man, who hadn't even got a parking offence, but whom Special Agent Dylan McDermott was convinced had killed five people.

Almost losing his life in the process according to his field report, again something his father was able to obtain. Considering one of his golfing buddies was an ex-FBI agent himself and had headed up the New York Office. Now at the prime age of seventy-five, the old timer had remained silent until recently, when seeing the report following Franklin Jones's death began making noises about knowing who did it and was urging the FBI to re-open his case again. The information Mike had was priceless but little if nothing he could do about it, without attracting Crowley's displeasure at seeing him working yet another case again under his own steam that had got him a six month evaluation in the first place. Talking with Kate had left him feeling even more out of place, as playing by the rules Kate wanted more evidence to back up his 'hunches' that had done nothing but make things more difficult in the past. Her mistrust possibly had a lot to do with him not disclosing he had asked his father to do some digging of his own. Being a retired cop with an exemplary Police service record was something Mike's father prided himself in, and the last thing Mike wanted to do was get his father's name muddied in his own candlelight investigation.

Wiping his hand down his five day growth beard, feeling his skin revolt at having it there, he decided there was only one thing to do. As much as he identified with the Agent who took a step on the wild side, as being just as stubborn as someone else he knew. At all costs she would get the results he needed to investigate a fifty year old case, to find out if a case that had been closed fifty years ago had been unjustified. In doing so, had allowed whatever or whoever had killed five people in Detroit, to remain alive and walk the streets of Toronto – killing again.

Nick Lassiter was pleased with the takings for the night as he closed up the safe, marking in the margin how much had been lifted from the mezzanine bar. Yawning he blinked and took his glasses off, pinching his nose and wiping his tired eyes. Three more nights of a successful exhibit had proven profitable as museum goers crowded the bay, taking the offered champagne and then paying through the nose at the bar's prices – someone had to earn a living right?

He looked up at a noise. Slipping his glasses on, he glanced across at his office doors, ears pinned back listening for any signs of movement outside in the hallway. No one should be here, with all the so called waiter and waitresses gone for the night, and the night watch man sitting at his post at the front door. The only other persons that should be around where the cleaners and he had left them no more than an hour ago sitting in the staff room in the basement. As he was two floors up, he knew they would not be anywhere near his office for at least another hour. Satisfied he had locked the door of his office to count the takings, Nigel returned to his paperwork in complete satisfaction he would not be disturbed. Everyone had become jumpy since the death of the Curator, suggesting someone had taken a grievance out on the flamboyant Museum caretaker. Nigel had never been one to mingle with other staff of The Royal. Happy enough keeping himself to himself and working on one day finally being able to open a wine bar of his own. Although unfortunately the staff he had been given to run the drinks lounge at this exhibit had proved exhausting, one particular waiter had caught the eye of his displeasure. Always turning up to work looking as if he had slept in his clothes, with hair greasy and un-kept. Sullen features and vacant eyes gave him a look of someone definitely on something, yet he has seen no signs of any toxins otherwise being taken.

There was something about Edgar Poole that un-nerved him. The way he watched people made Nigel think of a vulture or buzzard just waiting until death to pick the bones of its prey. Those eyes bore into you, they seemed to glow sometimes as he smiled. Not a happy to be in my workplace smile, but slow...secretive...sleeked, as if he had a secret but did not wish to share it. The noise came again, forcing Nigel to look around him once more, as he noted the sounds around his locked room with more interest. The over head drum of the air condition beat a steady rhythm, bringing much needed air into the closed office floor that had no natural light from a window. Setting down his pen, the door squeaked as he pushed his chair away from the desk and stood up,

"Hello is anyone there?" Putting his hand against the wood of the door, he was just about to throw back the catch when a deep guttural noise came from behind him. Spinning around, his scream died in his throat. As green eyes and white sharp teeth rendered him into silence.

Her findings had proved useful in disturbing ways it was revealed. Dr Mohadevan had faxed her findings on both the metal shreds and the mysterious green secretion that had been all over the metal frame of the grill to Vicki. Not trusting another visit, as Captain Crowley had clamped down on visitors entering the Forensics Department. To Vicki's surprise and justification, the metal shards definitely came from the screw that appeared missing from its hole, suggesting to Vicki it had been unscrewed from the inside but why?

The second piece of news was not so good. As she mulled over it while drinking deeply from her coffee, a pensive frown etched on her forehead. The green secretion was bile, the type that came up from your stomach and lived there to digest your food. This had disturbed her slightly as to why there would be traces around the grill above the victims head. Putting together the evidence Rajani had given her, Vicki already knew that two victims had died from having their livers removed from their bodies. Using Coreen's expertise in research and gaining access into sites normally forbidden. She slowly was able to whittle down a handful of answers ranging from Pagan sacrifices using organs to drain of fluid and drink on a full moon, to cannibalistic rituals with even more hinky reasons for why they did it.

Medieval research had proven and empty avenue to go down, some books proved unreachable in their goal of finding out what sort of person or creature was doing back street emergency organ removal while the patient was still alive. Of course Coreen could think of one person who held all the answers and of course the vital books that they needed back at his home, but that was one route Vicki was not prepared to go down for the sake of putting someone behind bars. Sighing heavily, she clicked absently on her email account and was drawn to message from the same invalid email address as the last time. Opening it up, she scanned the letter and whistled as she read the contents. Someone had gone to lengths in detailing research that had been conducted some fifty years ago in Detroit. The FBI had been involved and the case to this day remained unsolved. Sitting back, she chewed on her lower lip digesting this information and willed her gut not to lurch at the prospect that they were not dealing with just an ordinary killer but perhaps a copycat. Priding themselves at being able to carry on the work of a killer that had until this day, slipped through the system without being caught.

Mike once again was feeding her information he could not hand over himself, she acknowledged his hands were tied and endeavoured to do anything she could to help solve this case and find out as much as she could about this former FBI agent and just what happened in 1958. Unfortunately it would prove difficult for Vicki to do this by herself. Not one for flying and as she could no longer drive herself, thanks largely to her ever decreasing eyesight; she couldn't well call on Mike to drive all the way to Michigan and back. Considering they were yet to speak to one another would prove it a difficult ice breaker. If she was going to do this, she would have to call upon other means of help.

Sighing heavily and with a foul taste in her mouth, recognised as possibly humble pie. Vicki made a vow that she would ask this of him one last time and then walk away. Close that door on her life and never look back. Yeah right Vicki, just keep telling yourself that!


	4. Chapter 4

**A big thank you to everyone who has left kind reviews to this story, i am having fun writing it and hope you will enjoy what has to come. Now on with the latest chapter ;)**

Redemption

Eternity is a long time to wait...

Chapter Four...

He had taken the liberty of not going to tonight's viewing of his work. Sick of the formalities of having to rub shoulders with those who spent millions collecting art and bragged about how many pieces they had in their collection, had grated on Henry's nerves to the point of screaming. His dark work was best suited to the mere 'normal' of society. Who spent a couple of dollars per book, and relished within the confines of their homes his stories that wove mystery, intrigue and a touch of danger.

Three of his pieces had already been sold, each containing one solitary figure cast amongst the chaos on the canvas. Her long blond hair tied up haphazardly. Face set in determination and weapon of choice, ready to strike down those who would oppose her law and endanger anyone she chose to protect. Vicki had been his muse, his inspiration to show that good could overthrow evil and restore piece no matter the sacrifice. One woman's journey held in the balance both light and dark. Past and present, safety and danger. The irony of it all was that his muse was not thought of from his head, but a living person who seemed to draw from her essence, a world around her that wanted to do harm. He had made a promise when she willingly gave her blood, that he would protect her. In the shadow of any beast he had done just that.

His power and agility had sped him many lifetimes of living amongst the thrum of the living. Going un-noticed in a world were faces blended from one to the next. Her innocence had proven his weakness, her hard headed attitude his undoing. As much as he had kid himself she would listen to his warnings of seduction, the use of it to protect him from Pachacamac had been a pain too impossible to bear. He had sought refuge in his anger; feeling betrayed had allowed his anger to fume under boiling point. Wanting desperately to turn away from everything she had been and was becoming, yet found himself needing her company like a thirst that could not be quenched. He smiled faintly at seeing her face in his mind's eye as he busily sketched the outline to his next book. They had left the solution, no better with a result than the last time they had spoken. Her foolish belief that what they had was nothing more than a business arrangement had left him needing to go out and hit something hard. Stubbornness was an emotion she excelled at, driving the trapped frustrations that welled like a river inside him to prove her wrong.

Scribbling kept him distracted. While he could lose himself in his work, he would not think of the woman who drove him to the verge of insanity. Not that it was a hidden common factor in his family lineage? It was just something he never thought he would experience as a 488 year old Vampire.

The door was knocked and as he lifted his head, captured the fragrance that uniquely belonged to one person. Felt the smile spread across his face as he threw down his charcoal pencil, pulling loose strands of his hair from his forehead and straightening his shirt as he strode across the entrance hallway and opened the door. Standing just shy of the threshold, black jacket fitted over black jeans and boots. Hair, tussled from stepping outside into the night air for the journey that had taken her to his place. A grim set line marred her face, as blue eyes looked straight into his own. He could sense the power struggle within her in coming here tonight, could feel the pull that drew her to him the very first time they had met. Finally she spoke, her words resounded of the walls of his lair, a sense of déjà vu filled the space between them, "I guess I'm gonna need your help after all!"

Henry took in the resigned look on her face as he allowed her access into his home and closed the door behind him. It was like reliving the past year over again when he had asked Vicki to go away and think about working alongside him to catch Asteroth's minor Demon because her then client – Coreen Fennel had just lost her boyfriend Ian to the demon's destruction. She walked ahead of him as she skirted around the coffee table, before turning to face him, "Before you say anything I want to make something perfectly clear!" Henry sensed rules were about to be laid down, regarding working together and smiled at the dignified way Vicki Nelson carried herself. He was always one to let others know his Royal upbringing, did not depict lower such mortals addressing him in this way, never mind laying down rules before anything began. Trusting how strong willed Vicki was, had made it easier to allow her 'certain privileges' other less unfortunate humans did not. He admired her forthright contention at not being treated any less than an equal in every aspect of the game.

Lowering his head in a bow, he granted her space to clear the air of whatever ill she might have about arriving at his home tonight, "Never let it be said that Henry Fitzroy did not grant a lady the right so to speak!" Vicki rolled her eyes as she shrugged off her leather jacket and threw it on the nearby sofa, "I am asking your help because I have no one else I can turn to, but don't think this changes anything between us." She made her statement loud and clear, she was still angry at his abandonment and he of her choice of lovers. Seemed all pretty clear cut from where he was standing, "I wouldn't have it any other way Victoria, although..." he allowed the grace to smile at her, put her at ease before delivering his self satisfactory blow, "I do suggest that when you decide to stop fooling yourself over your attraction to me. You will want to let your face know what your pulse is telling me!"

He moved past her to allow some space between them, and of course give Vicki time to respond as only he knew she would, "You are so full of BS do you know that?" he appeared nonchalant as he returned back to the front page of his next book, "I think I have made it my choice in life to speak directly than gloss over the semantics of life, adds more honesty to what a person is really saying, don't you think?"

Vicki wanted to scream, she knew it had been a bad idea coming here. Knew that the stubborn mule going about his business like she wasn't even there, would not relent nor would he give an inch. Coreen had been right about working with Henry again and then walk away, just as much as Henry had been right about her feelings towards him. It was a win, win situation and Vicki was on the losing side, "Fine have it your way, are you going to help me or what?" she spat out the last line and hoped that she wouldn't have the compelling need to run headlong into traffic, than carry out having to plead for help on the case. Henry tossed down his pen and looked up at Vicki. A self satisfied smile spread across his handsome features, as he splayed his hands out in front of him, "I'm all ears."

* * *

They both sat in muted silence, as Vicki finished relaying everything that had been uncovered, including Mohadevan's report and what the anonymous emailer had discovered from a file that was buried in red tape by the FBI. 

"So," began Henry finally, "from what you're saying, you suspect this killer to be either a copycat continuing on the work of another who had stalked and killed fifty years ago...or?"

"Or it's the same person or thing, hiding out until the cost is clear and is now striking again." Interjected Vicki, sitting back and watching Henry's face scowl with concentration, before adding "I have Coreen looking into possible suspects that don't appear on any data base, but so far she has drawn up a blank. That's why I really need you to look into what other 'non conventional' reasons why something would need a liver from a human's body?"

He stood and went over to his bookcase, scanning the volumes Henry pulled out two and returned back to the where Vicki sat. Flicking through the pages he began reading down the contents of each page, "There has been known of Incubus Tribes, who fed off the heart and liver for regeneration methods, but you said..."

Vicki shook her head as she set down her glass on the coffee table, "No heart's just the liver. It's as if it knew what it wanted and only took what it needed. One entry wound," Henry nodded as he read on. Vicki rose and circled the room, rubbing her arms from a sudden chill that swept her body as she recalled how the victims were killed, "The attack would have been quick, in and out taking no time to remove anything else. Both victims were found in a locked room with no window. No forced entry, no means of escape." Henry looked up at this, a worrying picture began forming in his head, "They were stalked?" closing the books on Vicki's nod, he returned to the bookcase and slipped them back in. Taking another one out he began thumbing the index, "There were many reports in the fifteenth century of a mutation, a species who fed on organs rich in toxins to allow itself to regenerate. Surviving solely on the hunt and kill, taking only what it needed to go into a state of slumber, hibernation." He read a passage from the book in his hand as Vicki chewed on the leg of her glasses. It mentioned how it had survived generations, cocooning itself and resurfacing only to kill again for the necessity of survival. Hunted its prey before killing it, taking trinkets of sentimental value. This brought Vicki's head snapping to attention, "Trinkets, as in say jewellery, a painting?" Henry nodded his head, "The object of the kill was to personalise it for the feast. Making it more intimate when it came to taking the liver. As a Vampire, we often would take an object that we found held memories of the person we attached ourselves to. Pain holds a greater bond when the torture's sweet result held something we would remember of the kill."

"O-kay, so should I be questioning you about your whereabouts when these victims where both killed?" Vicki quizzed, knowing deep inside Henry could not be responsible for the killings. Henry on the other hand, chose to ignore Vicki's jab at his lack of having an alibi. For once in the month they had been apart, they were communicating normally without resulting to name calling. He welcomed the truce between them, "If you must know, I can be placed in the same place as victim number one. The exhibit began on Monday, when Franklin Jones was found in his office by the cleaning staff. As for the second victim..." he glanced again at the file Vicki had brought with her, showing the faces of both victims Dr. Mohadevan had identified and autopsied, "I did not see her at the exhibit, which to me indicates the choice of the kill doesn't follow a pattern of place, but more a selection of taste."

Vicki involuntarily shivered at Henry's emotionless statement, "Can I just say 'eww' here at the very thought that a thing out there is selecting from an 'all you can eat' buffet menu?" Henry shrugged his shoulders, smiling at Vicki's human abilities to sensitise the situation, "I could be wrong in thinking it's a supernatural problem we have here, but I don't believe there is someone out there using knowledge of the anatomy, to carve out the liver and leave the patient for dead." Vicki nodded; it would be such an easy case if that was true. Give her hope that all things evil had relented from beating a pathway to her door, "I guess that's too much to ask huh?"

Closing the book, Henry placed it back in the bookcase and folded his arms, "So, what do we do know?"

"Well, I need to work out a way of getting to Detroit to speak to the special agent who was working the case back in '58. I was hoping you could come up with the solution?"

Henry smirked; once again Vicki was toying with the idea of asking him directly, "It's a three to five hour drive over the border into Michigan. Without stopping, we could make it if we left directly after sunset by around ten pm. providing you can get to see him at that time of night. If not, then we will need a place to stay, preferably somewhere with a storage locker or basement that has no light."

Vicki processed all of this while nodding. It would be crazy to try and see Dylan McDermott at that hour of night, considering he lived in a retirement home, the chances of being allowed to get in was slim to impossible. She would get onto reservations and accommodations for the Detroit area in the morning, find a suitable place that would serve both purposes. While Henry slept, she would go about booking a visitation to see the former FBI Agent. Praying that he would considering the perplexity of the case, especially not knowing how long she had to catch the killer before it struck again.

Agreeing to meet up the following evening, with a promise that once she had booked a suitable place to stay, she would leave a message on his answering service. Vicki picked up her jacket, citing she needed to start heading homewards as sunset would be in an hour. Henry walked her to the door, opening it as he always did in his usual commanding manner, "So, this is it?"

Vicki smiled as she took in the ruffled look of his hair, combed too many times with agitated fingers, "This is it. Thank you Henry for agreeing to help me." His smile began slowly as he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The touch was a familiar welcome, and one she mourned in its passing when he had walked out of her life, "You made it impossible for me to refuse Vicki. It seems that no matter how much I try to stay away from you, the bond between us...lures me back."

She felt the tug between them, that invisible rope that kept her chained to his side. She licked her lips, a betray of nervousness as his eyes flickered to her mouth. The desire was there in his eyes that darkened briefly in the response. His power seemed to consume her with electrifying currents. Waves of desire swept over her and filled her with an empty need she had fought for too long. Felt him lean into her just an inch, but that glorious inch would be her undoing as her stubborn head yelled to be heard, "Goodnight Henry,"

She slipped out of the door and into the corridor, refusing to breathe until she reached the elevator that would take her down into the cold night air. Henry allowed her to go. Closing his eyes he inhaled her fragrance and forced the passion down once more, into the darkened recesses of his soul. He had felt her struggle and rejoiced briefly at how close she had been in allowing him the sweetness of her undoing. Time had given them a much needed break.

Having made the choice to stay away, had forced Vicki to seek him out, giving him the upper hand. Now it was time to control the destiny that had brought them together again. Only this time, her reluctance to seeing a future between them would be forced into the light. Darkness would not imprison her like it did him. Her radiance was what kept him alive inside, to lose her again would be more painful than having his heart ripped out from his very body, and darkness consume him completely. Feeling the first response to dawn stretching it's idle fingers along the horizon, Henry locked the door to his condo and retreated to the haven of his bedroom. Lifting the remote that operated the reinforced shutters over his windows, he watched as the City of Toronto slowly disappeared behind their metal protection.

He would allow the day to take him, with the knowledge that come the night, Vicki would return to him once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Five...

Kate weighed up the possibilities of a copycat killing, as forensics swept the office of Nigel Lassiter. His body not long away to have an autopsy done, knowing full well the outcome of how he died. Single entry wound, tearing through vital organs and tissue – liver missing. Died between the hours of eleven-thirty and two am, from severe trauma to body and bleeding out. This frenzied attack now the third was proving a headache with no real leads as to who had done it.

The whole department had been called in to investigate the murders; everyone was on high alert, with calls placed to every donor clinic in the surrounding area who bought organs for transplantation. Crowley was becoming even more agitated that the killer was still on the loose and one more body was being added to its repertoire. On the other hand, Mike had disclosed to her that he might know who or what the killer was, digging up an old FBI file he just happened to come across. Farfetched did not begin to explain his reasons to believe a report that a field agent had filed some fifty years previous. The very fact the same agent had been accused of being borderline sane when he did so, only worried Kate further that Mike had indeed finally flipped. Personally, she blamed his involvement with Vicki. Deciding that spending so much time over at 'spooksville' had rewired his brain into believing there were stranger things out there than fiction.

She had always looked up at Mike as being one of the most loyal, most truthful and most hard working cops on the force. Who had dedicated his career in putting the bad guys away and protecting the streets, allowing the public to sleep better in their beds at night. Right now she needed his sanity more than anything, as being the leading investigator, all eyes turned towards her for a better explanation on how to catch this monster and put them away for a very long time. The theory that this was a copycat killing, held some moral standing in explaining why this case looked familiar to the case worked by the 'out there' agent back in the fifties. Mr. McDermott certainly wasn't going to let it rest. Insisting in telephoning the press office, issuing his right to freedom of speech about something he had been forbidden to talk about, when the case was filed upon his 'forced' retirement. This resulted in the FBI, publically dismissing Mr. McDermott's claims and as a direct result, the old man had been revoked his 'special' privileges at the retirement home in Detroit. Kate found that unjustified when she had read this. Her grandfather was at a retirement home and having such luxuries as a television and telephone, made life at the place a little more bearable. Sighing she stood up and surveyed the room, taking in any possible clues that she might have missed. A glint of light caught her attention over at the air conditioning grill that on this floor was twelve inches about the skirting board. Calling to one of the detectives, she asked if he had a pocket knife. Upon being handed one, strolled over to the source of the shinning on the carpeted floor and hunched down. Small enough to miss, slithers of what appeared to be metal lay just short of the grill. Using the underside of the blade, Kate lifted the metal piece and stored it in a forensic pouch. She felt elated at finding such a small piece of information but daunted by the knowledge that it possibly came from the air con duct, "Give me a hand will you?" Ordering the detective who had given her the pocket knife, they both unscrewed the grill until it popped off. Picking up her torch, Kate shone it deep into the hole where she could see a vast amount of metal, squared off leading to the tunnel of vents that housed the cool air that was pumped from outside on top of the Museum, "Take Thomas and Eccleson, see if the ventilation station has been tampered with on the roof?" the young detective nodded and took off, calling to the other officers to follow him. If Kate could find out a possible clue that would speed up the investigation and get a suspect in for the murders; she would be moved forward for promotion and get the hell out of homicide, leading a much more energetic team of her own.

She smiled at this thought as she lifted the slither of metal up to the light above her head, "Montreal here I come."

* * *

It had been too risky but he had no other choice, he needed to feed. Edgar berated himself for killing so close to home. Within days of the first kill, he had done it again. Once again he had forced renewed interest from the Police, putting them all under the spotlight.

He felt the cold sweat trickle down his body, his hands began sweating as detectives interviewed. Asking for their last known whereabouts and had they any alibis? As much as he tried to remain calm, his outer nervousness alerted attention from a young woman with sandy hair and even paler complexion. Nancy glanced towards him as he was detained behind the group the Police had finished with. Worry etched her face and her dark eyes darted from his face to the Police woman who was questioning him. He felt weak and trapped at the suspicion that was being put to him. This could not be happening now, not when he was so close. The worry forced another trickle of sweat to bead on his brown and roll down his cheek, as the young nosey opinionated woman began to remove her cuffs from the belt on her trousers. Citing off the usual droll of being under arrest, Edgar felt the walls of the building close in on him. As out of the mist, the closed in fog that clouded his eyes he heard Nancy's voice, "He was with me...Edgar Poole was with me the whole night."

An eerie silence emanated around the persons still standing in the office that had been used for the interviews. Everyone's eyes cast onto Edgar's face. Forcing him to back slightly away from the glare, the accusation, the disgust, the pity for Nancy who had saved him from being hauled away in handcuffs, "You, spent the night with...him?" the pale blond quirked and eyebrow, and reigned in her own revolt of disgust aimed in his direction. He wanted nothing more than to rip her throat out and silence the contempt for him from her squeaky voice. Feel the blood loose and flowing through his fingertips and satisfy the urge to honour the beast that drummed in his chest. Nancy had spoken, she has saved him but why? It was too kind of her to do so. He had never been shown such kindness, such tenderness as he saw in the eyes of Nancy. She had lied for him, but what was her purpose, what was her gain?

"Is this true? Where you with Miss Travers last night?" the accusation was laced with suspicion as he looked into the pale eyes of the Police woman, nodding once and swallowing the deluge of bile gurgling up his throat. He sensed the frustration of the young woman who was torn between slipping the cuffs on his wrists and slamming them into the floor, "Of all the bloody rotten luck!" she hissed, as she turned towards one of her colleagues and motioned for him to continue with the interviewing. Edgar allowed himself the briefest of smiles as he turned towards Nancy as she came towards him, "T-Thank y-you..."he began but was immediately cut off by Nancy's hastened whisper, "Look, I don't know what you were doing last night, and frankly I don't want to know. I liked Nigel even less than you did, for my own personal reason that is". She looked behind her, making sure no one was listening or watching them before she continued, "I wouldn't wish him dead though, which is why I'm telling you to keep your head down. I don't want any more Police sniffing around this place, makes me nervous okay?" Edgar could do nothing but nod at the rash and nervous Nancy, intrigued now to find out what she was hiding. Satisfied he understood, Nancy patted his arm as they walked away from the cordon of Police detectives, towards the double doors that lead them out into the staircase, "I like you Edgar, you're a really nice man. A bit hobbit like but that's okay you know?" confusion clouded his brain but he let it pass, as Nancy continued, "Just don't want to see you getting the blame for something a madman or woman did. If you ask me – Nigel had it coming for a very long time, and I for one will sleep better knowing he's been snuffed out like a candle. Good riddance to a really bad smell."

He allowed her to skip down the stairs in front of him, not quite knowing how to take her statement, at having their former boss eliminated from life. His eyes where weary and his bones felt like liquid. He had used a greater amount of energy having to remain calm under scrutiny, forcing the human elements of his exterior to perfect the mask of innocence. He needed sleep to try and restore the depletion of his life force. He would not feed tonight, it was becoming too risky to try and take another so soon. Already news had spread about bodies turning up and being identified. Their bodies minus a vital organ that was needed, that his need was greater than their own. He recalled the last time he had come this close to being caught, and growled at the indignation he had suffered under such scrutiny. He could not let that happen again, not when he had almost failed in his mission a lifetime ago. Having to go into slumber almost drained of all power. The bile rose to his throat once more, he would return to his lair and work on completing the last stages of his cocoon. Soon he would have enough to return to darkness, fed and complete for his next transformation.

Vicki paced back and forth in her office, ignoring the quirky smile of Coreen, sitting basking in self delight of having been proved right. Holding the telephone in one hand and a stack of slips in another, she patiently waited as only she could, to be told whether the accommodation she was looking for was available. Having awoken from a restless sleep, Vicki had got straight to work in locating all known hotels, motels and even hostels that held a basement or storage locker she could rent out for one to two nights. Along with a room, explaining she was bringing with her, her much devoted furry friend 'Eddie' and needed a place to keep him in, while she explored the sights of the City. Argued that she and her four legged pooch had never been separated, and the time spent away from each other would break her eight year old doggy's heart.

The sniggering from Coreen had been unbearable as she gritted her teeth, and threatened to dock the next two months pay from the Princess of Darkness's wages. Satisfied it had rendered Coreen silent for a while, gave Vicki some renewed strength as she walked a hole in her already threadbare rug, and waited for the response on the other end. Filling in Coreen about what she had agreed to do with Henry, had only given the forever black Goth more fuel to add to the already smouldering fire that threatened to engulf her normally controlled senses. Could this all be a mistake that would cost her more than what happened last time? Was she trying too hard in the hope of putting everything right?

She had helped Mike keep his job. Even though he was restricted in what he could do, at least he was doing what he loved and still taking home a pay check. Coreen had been brought back from the brink of death, with no outward signs that she would suffer any setbacks. Now it was up to Vicki to restore the balance between the mess she had made of Henry's life, and her own self obsessed, opinionated, and often stubborn chaos she called her own. Finally a voice spoke on the other end, confirming one room adjoined to a shared basement was booked in her name for that evening and would be welcomed on arrival at the 'Sleepy Tops' guest house. Vicki thanked the woman for her help with the booking, scribbling down the location and directions, she hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. Dialling Henry's number the line clicked and went straight to voice mail, allowing Vicki to relay the details of where they were going to stay and confirmed her arrival just before sunset. Hitting the call end button, she threw the phone down on her desk and rubbed her tired eyes beneath her glasses.

Having bore witness to the return of her eyesight, without the restraints of fogged vision. Asteroth had given her a glimpse into what her sight looked like restored. Before crudely snatching it away because she would not allow him to use her blood to open up the gate of hell and set him free. Her peripheral vision was slowly receding into complete darkness, a darkness she had the choice to change – to lose a life to gain back part of hers. It had robbed her each night of peaceful sleep as awakening nightmares, clutched at her heart and howled within her very soul.

Somehow she would do her best to make everything right. Asteroth was out there walking and breathing and with each day that past, another evil entity would make itself present to take a bite out of her. She would end this creature foremost in the running first. Then go after another and another until all had been wiped out, with or without the help of others. Happy with her decision, Vicki gave Coreen the day off, considering work was finally slowing down. With a warning to be careful from her ever bubbly assistant, she caught up with some paperwork. Including the knowledge that the killer she was after took trinkets, personal possessions belonging to each victim before killing them. This would be one angle of questioning she would put to Special Agent McDermott, whom she had finally got a visitation to meet with him. Claiming to be his second cousin's niece and was arriving in from Canada just to see him. All she had to do now was through a couple of things into an overnight bag and wait for sunset to arrive. It was going to be a long night ahead.

* * *

Mike re-read the report a third time to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Kate had found some evidence, a slither of metal from the grill in the office – this was good. He then went to the photos taken at the scene and studied them carefully, picking out the angle of the room and where the body was found. Adding that to the location of the air conditioning grill, he deduced that the killer had entered the room through it and exited the same way. The measurements taken of the duct that housed the tunnels of air corridors, made it impossible for an adult person to squeeze through. Never mind kill, rip a liver out and climb back in without getting stuck. The second victim had been killed in her own bathroom with no unit present, just a series of pipes that led to the outside of the house. Perplexed, Mike went over the photos again, memorising everything in the room. From the bookcase to the brass ornaments that ordained a shelf to the right hand side of the room...wait a minute?

Something was missing. An object, small and round had left behind a clear ring of polished wood. He looked over the photos once more. Whatever it was had been there for some time in the room. The cleaners had not gone near the floor Lassiter's office was stationed, so it gave a time when the object had been there, but why was it missing? Mike could only go over one of the suspicions held in the file the old FBI guy had written, about the killer's need to take something from the victim. Once again it placed the killer of 1958 back in the present, and the scene of the latest murder.

Night fell as Vicki let herself into Henry's apartment, with the key he had given her at the beginning of their sexless partnership. She had been elated at the trust he had bestowed on her having it. Felt empowered that a Vampire would allow the most sacred of his sanctuary be held in the hands of a human. Hearing him in his bedroom, she called to let him know she had arrived. Heard the humour in his voice when he replied he already knew and blew a raspberry in his direction as she set down her overnight bag and waited. Dressed in grey and black, Henry emerged clean and fresh, sliding the doors shut to his room, while carrying a bag of his own for the journey,

"Shall we go?" his voice held a mocking tone at seeing her own relaxed wardrobe of loose fitting pants and dark purple long sleeved sweater, "Ready when you are, after all you'll be doing the driving," His smile was infectious as he opened the outer door for her frame to exit, "That is true. Five hours to get reacquainted with one another again."

Vicki didn't know which was worse for her weakened state of sanity. Spending five hours on the road, in the company of Henry in the confined space of his Jag? Or finding out from the FBI man just what the hell were they dealing with?

Decisions, decisions, decisions...


	6. Chapter 6

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Six...

Vicki relaxed into the leather upholstery of Henry's Jag, and listened to the haunting melodies of Strauss as they drove along the Ambassador Bridge before heading out towards the 401 bound for Detroit. Henry explained along the way he had the right documents and licences for both Canada and America when they reached the border crossing, having often visited a skin walker who lived in Boston many occasions travelling a much similar route. What he failed to tell Vicki was that the previous night when she had left him, he had taken the liberty of contacting Augustus and arranging documents for their journey across, including making sure Detroit had still not been taking over by another Vampire who would not welcome Henry's presence in their City. The City lights twinkled ahead as they made light conversation while listening to the weather forecast and travel news, hoping that their journey would not be hampered by any unknown circumstances. An hour into the journey and Vicki felt her limbs grow tired and her eyes become heavy and the stretch of asphalt drew out in front of her. Night vision was worsened when it came to the dark, and as enjoyable as it was to keep Henry company, she found herself drifting into a warm slumber.

As he crossed from Wellington Road onto the 401 Highway heading north to London, Henry glanced across to the passenger now snoring slightly and smiled in the dim light of his car. They had started the journey in good spirits, a welcome relief from the tension they'd had of late. The trip to Detroit was something very important to Vicki, but truth be told he would have followed her anywhere just to help her out. Leaving his home offered little security while they travelled by road. Hence he made arrangements for them along the way, having his old friend Augustus forward enquires about the place they would be staying in. What facilities did it have and most of all, what type of basement it had and was it secure enough for him to rest in. When told about Vicki's excuse for using the basement of the guest house as a resting place for her man's best friend, or in Vicki's case 'woman's best friend' called Eddie.

He had been a little insulted at the prospect of his desirable looks being compared to that of a shaggy mutt, with very little brain. Until Vicki pointed out she had always been drawn to the Alaskan Malamute (Husky). The short to long varied coat with piercing blue-grey eyes. Its power and strength to pull sleds double its own weight, not to mention its loyalty and reverence to its owner. All this made it a more suitable role swap that Henry was more than happy to put up with.

Settling back he punched the search button until he found suitable music to listen to as he continued their journey ahead towards London which was situated in southwest Ontario. He had often visited London himself, its picturesque scenery and well built up architecture, including a 'Thames River' that splits into two branches the town centre. A far cry from his much loved River Thames in London, England that rose up majestically and offered sentimental memories of when he was alive, and being ferried across it in one of his father's many boats. They were at the halfway point and he needed to stop for gas and to stretch his legs. With this, Vicki woke up. Yawning she stretched from her curled up position on the passenger side, looking well slept, cosy and warm. Henry fought down the urge to lean into the car and capture her lips with his own. The sudden intimacy of the act would have her off running again, wasting yet another moment in their 'strange arrangement' and having to answer to her barrage of 'why they can't do it', when he would much prefer the calm that surrounded them both right now,

"What time is it?" Vicki fought down another yawn as she joined him at the gas pump, wrapping her arms around her slight frame as she squinted out across the station forecourt, "A little after eight pm," Henry responded, smiling at the way her hair sat up in spiky edges, and the rose of her cheeks glowed against her pale skin, "another hour or so and we should be in Detroit and well on our way to the guest house." Vicki nodded, finding the whole situation of two people standing in the middle of a service station, chatting about the time About as intimate as any couple out for a romantic drive at night without a care in the world.

Shaking her head, trying to wipe away the image it created to her lonely empty heart, she made an excuse that she needed to use the restroom, and took off as quickly as her legs would carry her. What was she thinking? Surely she still didn't believe that a future was there for her if she so chose it? Hadn't Asteroth messed with her head enough? Finishing she went to the sink and ran the water until it was cold, before splashing it around her flushed cheeks, from sleep she hoped and stared at the fuzzy outline of her face in the mirror. Her heart was torn and she didn't know which way she should go about settling the ache that lay in the emptiness. The longing to be loved was evident in her eyes when she was given the attention she so desperately needed. Henry believed passion was what kept humans as well as Vampires alive. That the greatest passion could last lifetimes even after death. To be seduced by its beauty, its power had brought down many empires and fought many wars for a taste of its sweetness. Could she find that in him?

True, he stirred a fever in her that she fought against and denied the inner voice inside, that begged to let go, but it wasn't enough - she needed more. As much as her attraction to him kept the sexual tension that sizzled between them, she didn't want to be just another conquer that shared his bed on rotation. Vicki Nelson deserved to be loved solely and completely by one person, one lover. With Mike she'd had that, until she resigned when they tried to persuade her to take a desk job, because of her medical condition. Rob her from the one job she loved over everything and in doing so, lost Mike as well.

Look at her now; she didn't have him on speed dial anymore, playing the invisible pen pal and feeding her information when he should be keeping his nose clean – some relationship? Outside however, was a man who would do anything for her, within reason. Swore to protect her and help her when she needed him. Had abandoned her, yeah that still stung, but he had given a good reason as to why. Even though it had been more about the size of the 'equipment' between him and Mike, than actually anything about their relationship with her.

Turning off the tap, she dried her hands and tried to smooth her hair from the tumbled look to the ultra professional, after all she was on a mission and time was slipping away. Returning to the car she happened to notice a large dog carrier sitting in the back seat. Turning towards Henry who joined her several seconds later, she waited for an explanation as to how it got there. His simple answer of 'she couldn't very well turn up at the guest house saying she had a dog, with no dog to show for it' put her wordlessly in her place. Smiling smugly to himself for thinking on his feet and being one step ahead of Vicki, Henry gunned the engine to life and pulled out, heading towards Detroit.

* * *

They arrived at the Sleepy Tops in Windsor, a little after ten o'clock. Lights adorned the property that offered a welcome after travelling the dusty road for several hours, "You go ahead and book in," Henry began, as he ducked low making sure he hadn't been noticed, "I'm going to head around the back to see if there is any other way into the basement. Wait five minutes and then once you have been shown to your room, meet me down there." Vicki nodded as she got out, and opened the door to the backseat of the cat, pulling out the travel box that held the invisible dog, "Jesus Henry, what have you in here?" her whispered voice rushed out, as she gently lowered the box to the ground. She heard Henry's deep laugh as he leaned over to look at her, "You would be surprised what I've put in there." Vicki gave him a pointed look, "I'm sure," as he continued, "just pretend that you have given...Eddie an organic sleeping drug for travelling, and you need to put him in the basement so he can sleep it off."

Lifting her overnight bag from the trunk in one hand and in the other the dog box, Vicki made her way towards the brightly lit doors of the guest house, "let's just hope I can pull this off." Once her body disappeared through the front doors, Henry slowly released his door and dropped to his hunches on the earth floor. His senses where on high alert, as with his own bag he crawled around the back of his car and waited. From his vantage point in the car park, he could see Vicki speaking to a woman who seemed to laugh at what Vicki was saying, so far so good. Looking behind him the property that had been chosen for their stay was a moderate red stone with plenty of ground around it. A small fence surrounded the building and its smaller adjoined outbuildings. Sensing that it was possibly there he would find an alternative access to the space below the main house, Henry began quickly covering the ground until he was around the back and out of sight.

Vicki was greeted upon walking into the spacious reception area by a portly smiling grey haired woman, with a brightly coloured caftan and even brightly coloured jewels that dangled from her fingers and wrists, "Welcome to Sleepy Tops, my name is Rosa Clements owner of this guest house. Do you have a reservation dearie?" Vicki blinked as she set both bag and box down at her feet, "Ah yes, my name is Martha Smyth, with a 'Y' and I have a room booked with you..."

"Aha, yes the lady with the dog she can't leave home without!" Rosa turned towards the desk and with a pen, scrolled down the book in front of her until she came across the alias Vicki had changed into for the weekend, "Not into dogs myself," began the woman beaming at Vicki, "I much prefer cats, I have half a dozen or so wandering around the place. They give me such joy since Bert's death..." Sighing, she fixed Vicki with a curious smile, as she glanced at the animal box at her feet, "It seems awfully quiet, is it alright?"

Thinking on impulse Vicki did her best to look disinterested at the direct questioning, as she produced from her bag, the documentation to prove the booking to the lady, "O-Oh, don't worry about Eddie. I gave him a sleeping draft from the vet for the journey; he should be right as rain in the morning." Nodding, Rosa smiled as she checked the documents Vicki had handed her. Including her bogus identity, courtesy of one the many tricks Vicki had up her sleeve from being a P.I. "I hope the basement will be alright, I don't use it very much anymore since my husband's passing," she turned the registration book around so that Vicki could sign it, "He use to love tinkering around down there with his tools. I don't go down because it's too creepy and dark with no windows; I think the light bulb still works...hope your dog can see in the dark," the woman laughed as Vicki scribbled her alias name along the dotted line, "need to have eyes like a bat to see down there," Vicki smiled back as she rolled her eyes behind the woman's back as she fetched Vicki her room key, "You got the bat bit right," her muttered remark went unnoticed as she was handed the key to her room and basement. Referring to of course Henry's condition and another Vampire myth he had quashed, the first few weeks of meeting him, "Rooms on the second floor at the far end you can't miss it," Rosa announced with her now trademark smile, "I gave you the south facing room, the sun doesn't come up on that side. That way you take advantage of a good lie in, without the sun shining in on you!"

Vicki took the offered keys and smiled back a thanks in return, "I'll bear that in mind, thank you." Lifting her bag and the dog box, she made her way up the flight of stairs to her room, hoping Henry had not run into any difficulties.

He hated cats; they were foul creatures with untrusting eyes and sharp claws. Not much of a pet lover himself, he prayed the hair that was slowly being left from the tail winding itself around his leg, would come off his expensive pants as the green eyed creature purred up at him. He would find it humorous that his magnetism worked on even the smallest of female's, if it were not for the fact she was stopping him from getting to the coal Shute that dropped down into the basement, the place he was most anxious to get to. The cat did seem keen on him giving her attention and while he tried to pry her claws of his Italian leather shoes, the more she desperately clung to him. Raising his head to the sky he finally relented from having to use his powers of persuasion, as his voice deepened and rasped, "GO HOME!" without so much as a backward glance, the black slinky cat jumped of his leg and ran towards the front of the house. Henry glared at its retreating back and swore that if he got fleas, he would show it what it was like to have really large teeth and claws. Finally alone, he made haste at snapping the lock clean off the doors, and pulled them open quickly to peep inside. It was a long way down but he could manage it, as he threw down his bag and listened to the dull thud as it hit the floor below. Noticing some shelving sitting directly to the left of the hole, Henry manoeuvred himself until his feet stood on the top of it. As he lowered himself down, bringing the doors shut over his head and using the lock he had taken from the outside to secure it.

Dropping to his feet, his eyes accustomed to the brilliance of the dark he picked up his bag and surveyed the place that would be his home for the next two nights. Stairs led up to the house above at one end of the vast space that contained the heating boiler unit to the property. The smell of ancient pots of paint and cleaning fluid invaded his senses, as he pulled a face at having to endure sharing the same space as the lung stripping substances. Reluctantly he had to agree that it was for a good cause and right now more than anything, he needed to find a place that he could rest without being disturbed and worry of sunlight turning him into a crispy critter. After that he needed to feed. He had gone long enough without a meal and could feel his strength depleting his body. There was a corner behind some storage units that offered coverage from both the stairs and light that would cast down from them, and the steel shutters he had closed himself in with. Rolling out his makeshift bed, Henry was satisfied at the cocoon he made. Bringing nothing with him but his best sheets of silk and pillow of Egyptian cotton, it gave him the little comfort he needed from being away from his haven of luxury back in Toronto. A noise above him drew his attention from the bed, as with agile speed he stood behind the stairs and listened for the intruder who had turned the lock to the door and was slowly opening it. Her scent wove around him as he relaxed and allowed the clicking of her heels down metal steps, carrying the travel box reach the floor before moving away from his hiding place, "Henry, are you there?" her voice held a trace of worry as she scanned the darkness, after discovering the light bulb didn't work, "I hope you're down here, I can't see a damn thing..."

"I am, at your right hand side," his deep baritone called out to her in the darkness and she felt herself relaxing at hearing he had made it, "Thank god you're here. I didn't think I could get away from Ellie-May up there, she wanted to come down and make sure Eddie got all settled!" Henry found the torch in his coat and switched it on. Casting a glow around the dark basement, causing Vicki to flinch slightly from its glare, "Well...you can tell this 'Ellie-May person, that Eddie here has settled in just fine," Henry could not hide the humour in his voice as he surveyed the space around him, "Not exactly a Palace I give you that," Vicki joined in the infectious banter as she too looked around her, "Oh I don't know Henry. A couple of scatter cushions, some throws. Tapestry hung over the grey bricks and you have your very own winter Palace right here."

"You are offering to fluff my pillows Vicki?" He drew her into a place that he wanted to explore, but felt Vicki's intake of breath and immediate withdrawal from the banter between them. He allowed her to put some distance between them as she moved further into the room, "So, place seems nice, the owner - a little over bearing," Henry smiled as he folded his arms across his chest, casting the light onto another part of the room, "I wouldn't know since I'm the furry friend drugged inside the box!" Vicki turned and smiled apologetically; "You know if there had been an easier way to speak to this FBI agent back at my office, I would have picked it right?" he nodded in agreement but still felt as if he was hiding out, entombed until darkness fell, "It doesn't make it easier or safer having to hide out in a place as dank as this, and still be able to smile about it?"

Vicki felt a pang of guilt as she approached him, Henry had done so much for her and she sensed his restlessness, "Aww poor Henry, this coming from a guy who hid out in a Vegas dumpster for a few nights?" Henry rolled his eyes as Vicki remarked on a tale he told about his colourful past, "That as it may be, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that you're up there and I'm down here!" Vicki placed her hands on his shoulders, as she looked up into the mask of humour that threatened to spill from his face, "Didn't pick you as the type to miss fresh clean sheets, and a large spacious bed?"

"Depends who's in it at the time and if they're worth missing?"his sexy drawl and open meanings, brought her further and deeper into trouble if she didn't end this now. Snapping back into cool exterior Vicki, she patted his coat and moved away, "I'd better be going, or else the owner of this place is going to find out 'Eddie' is not all that hairy and four legged as she believes."

Henry allowed her to break the contact with a mournful loss, as he reigned in his arousal and slowly brought his attention back into focus, "Yeah, you'd best get going," his comment sounded more like a threat, but right now the need to feed far outweighed sounding polite, "What are you planning to do?" her voice sounded small on the stairs as she climbed them towards the exit, "I need to feed Vicki. I have left it long enough to get you here," he sounded tired as he closed his eyes, felt her heart beat race slightly at the announcement of his plans, "Oh, okay...well goodnight Henry, be careful and...enjoy your meal!" with that she was gone, shutting out the light from upstairs with a click from the lock. He had four hours to sunrise to explore this strange City, blend with the night time ground and get his bearings. No one lay claim to Detroit, it was full of the seedy life that every kind of tortured soul fed off. No creature walking lived long enough to claim this as their territory, open season to do what you wanted without the risk of getting into trouble with those opposed to your kind.

This was going to be an eventful night...

* * *

Vicki awoke to the bleeping of her cell phone, vibrating away on the nightstand. Slipping her glasses from the desk, she put them on and answered the call to silence the bleeping, "H-Hello?" Coreen's over exuberant voice chirped away in the background, "Vicki, are you there? how you finding it out of the office and on the open road, how's Henry?" with still squinting eyes, Vicki checked her watch and saw that it read nine-fifteen, a bit early in the day to have little miss sunshine smiling down the other end and clucking like a mother hen, "Everything's fine Coreen, we arrived last night..." she covered her mouth to stifle a yawn as she continued, slipping out of the bed and into her worn well jeans, "Henry is fine, I left him last night to go and get a take out, so he should be back by now sleeping like a baby." Plucking a t-shirt from her bag, she pulled it over her head and resumed talking, "I'm going to go down and check on him during breakfast, away from the scrutiny of the owner. Who I don't think is buying this whole 'let sleeping drugged up dogs lie' routine I'm trying to pull off,"

"When do you see Mr. McDermott?" Coreen asked on the other end as Vicki balanced the cell phone in one hand while fishing for her toothpaste, squirting a little bit more than she should onto the toothbrush, "This evening, I have an appointment at six, so that should give Henry plenty of time to wake and possibly a bite to eat before we go. Have any other emails come into my inbox, from the address I told you about?" As Coreen went away and checked, it bought Vicki enough time to clean her teeth, spitting into the sink in her room and drying her mouth with a towel that was threadbare and in dire need of fabric softener. She was hoping her anonymous emailer would have dropped something interesting into her account. More clues as to what she was dealing with. She didn't like being far away from home, from the streets she needed to keep safe. Coreen returned to the other end, "Ah, no Vicki, everything seems quiet and there's been no reports of another killing yet." She breathed a sigh of relief at least that was good news. The killer possibly decided there was too much heat right now and was hopefully laying low until the dust settled. It bought her some time, "Okay, well I'll check back with you in a couple of hours to get a progress report. Stay near the telephone, should I need you to do some digging for me," saying her goodbyes, Vicki ended the call and lifting her key to the room, went downstairs for a much needed cup of strong black coffee.

Avoiding the inquisitive glances of Rosa Clements and the progress of her sleeping pooch, Vicki grabbed a chance at sneaking into the basement as soon as breakfast finished. Hidden behind storage boxes with a wall on one side and what looked like some sort of kitchen dresser on the other, Henry's body lay still on a bed of well placed linen surrounding his half naked frame. Vicki smiled as she watched him asleep, allowing the day time to take him, made this excursion even more dangerous in case he was found. The last thing she needed was for Mrs Clements to come down here curious to find out if she had a dog or not, only to discover she had a Vampire in her basement, well a dead man anyways. Moving to the box that held the invisible dog, she gently lifted the flap and peeped inside,

"What the hell?"

Lying at the bottom of the box, grey and black sleek fur covered the whole of its curled body. Glass eyes shone out from the box, blue-grey in colour. Long pointed nose and sharp cornered ears sat up alert and ready at its master's call. A yellow collar was around its neck and in lifting the tag that hug snug against its fur; Vicki couldn't help but smile at the familiar scroll of Henry's handwriting – Edward 'Eddie' He had bought her a toy dog, how and when he had done that she had no idea? She wasn't one for passing through service stations, but she would bet her last dollar, that Henry had not picked it up from there. She wasn't into the whole sentimental mushy crap that most women succumbed to, when something nice was bought to them, but right now she felt positively slushy about what he had done for her. Lifting the stuffed animal out, she discovered his limbs moved much like a real one. As with one hand, she curled him around her arms as if holding him into place to cuddle, resting his head towards her chest. Satisfied she looked like she was taking him out into the fresh air, she mounted the steps, opening the door a crack to see if the coast was clear. Seeing Mrs. Clements at her desk with a handful of guests looking her attention, Vicki slipped out the door and locked it behind her. The woman took this opportunity to look up and wave at Vicki as she held the stuffed toy at her chest and waved back to her, "Just giving Eddie some fresh air," she turned her back and moved quickly through the doors and out into the glorious morning sunshine.

First task over, she had shown the owner what appeared to be a dog in her arms, so that would mean there was no need for her to down to the basement to see if she was committing some act of animal cruelty. With a wry smile, Vicki approached Henry's car, and with a age old trick of a hair pin, unlocked the trunk finding it empty, and stored her much loved pooch inside, "Sorry about this Eddie, I'll be back for you later." Closing the trunk, she checked to make sure she was still not being watched, before straightening and walking out the gates towards the centre of town.

The afternoon was spent travelling by the bus route and picking up several maps of the surrounding areas. Windsor was not hugely populated but it was a growing city with new development being built to breathe new life back into it. It had an impressive University, which wasn't far from where the guest house was, situated near the Riverside. Several parks and an impressive rail service ran through the city, making it easier to get around. She checked where the retirement home was, southbound near Windsor Grove Cemetery. Typical, build a home near a cemetery, allowing the comfort to know that you loved one didn't have very far to go to be buried, Vicki thought wryly as she marked the direction they needed to go once Henry woke up. She would never do that to her Mom, as much as age was a factor in everyone's life, well most lives that is. Eventually death should be seen as a celebration of the person's life. Not make them sit and stare out at the plot of land, to which their body was going to be put in. It would be much easier to just chuck the remains over the wall and be done with it.

Shaking herself out of her morbid mood, Vicki checked her watch and folded up the map she had laid open on the table of the coffee shop she has sat in most of the afternoon. It was sunset within the hour and she needed to start heading back towards the guest house, hoping by the time she got back, Henry would be awake.


	7. Chapter 7

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Seven...

Finding Mrs. Clements missing from her usual sentry, the reception desk of the guest house, allowed Vicki to slip in un-noticed and down into the basement to leave back stuffed 'Eddie'. It was then she discovered not only was Henry awake, he was also missing,

"SHIT, where then hell are you Henry?" the possibility he must have nipped out for a bite to eat – Vampire style, she returned to the main floor and made her way towards stairs to her room. Thinking a quick shower and change of clothing was in order while she waited for Henry's return, leaving a message on his cell phone that she was back. Laughter came from the dining room, and what sounded suspiciously like Henry's voice in deep animated conversation with...Rosa?

Pushing the door open, she found the owner blushing to the roots of her greying hair, clutching her hand to her chest. As the tall frame of Henry Fitzroy leaned forward and whispered something close to her ear. Rosa blushed deeper as she fanned her hand in front of her face and laughed louder. As Henry leaned back on the chair and watched with relaxed humour at the woman getting herself into such a silly state. Vicki could feel the tingle of annoyance along the back of her neck as she coughed. Forcing the older woman to jump up in seeing her, as Henry swivelled around on his chair, smiled that usual self-preening satisfied smile of his and stood up,

"Miss Smyth, I didn't see you come in. Isn't it so nice that your gentleman, ah boyfriend decided to call upon you?" her voice came out breathless, as she came around and smiled generously at Vicki, who could only stare at Henry with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity, "Isn't it just, how long have you been here...**darling**?" the last word was emphasised just for him to understand, as he walked towards her, with all the hall markings of a lover who had been too keen to visit with his girlfriend, "I just got in sweetheart..." he drawled as he pulled her towards him for a 'too' friendly hug. Releasing her slowly but not from his grip, as his hand remained around her waist, pulling her tight along the length of his side, "I was beginning to think I had missed you, but the lovely Rosa here told me you had taking Eddie out for a walk?" the humour was present in his voice, and Vicki wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile of his smug face for playing games. Unfortunately, that would result in drawing attention to their circumstance, "Aww pumpkin," she drawled with over sugary sweetness, "if you'd have told me you were coming, well you know I would've made sure to stay in?" for extra emphasis, she squeezed the cheek of his tight butt and smiled with adoration. Maybe she just didn't like having one pulled over on her, or maybe it was the release of being away from the City she had always known? All she did know was the look in Henry's eyes told her she was overstepping the mark with the playacting and needed to put some space between them. Henry on the other hand, wasn't going to let it go, "I wanted to surprise you my love, you know I miss your warm body next to mine at night!" Vicki felt her own face grow warm, as Mrs. Clements coughed at the intimate information that she had just heard and smoothing down her hair she hurriedly made her excuse, "Well, I'm sure you two lovebirds have a lot of catching up to do. Will you be staying the night Mr...?"

"Fitzroy, Ma'am," Henry tore his eyes away from Vicki's reddened face, to address the woman he had spent an interesting thirty minutes with, "Henry Fitzroy, and yes I will be staying over for just the night, If that's okay with the policies of this fine establishment?" Rosa blushed and smiled widely up at Henry as she patted his arm, "Of course it is, don't be silly. I'll have more linen brought up to Martha's room. Now, if you would excuse me, I have some other guests to attend to," It was only as Rosa passed them both, did Vicki notice the all too familiar double entry wound that was beginning to heal on the side of her neck.

Once she closed the door behind her, Vicki launched a verbal attack on the smug Lord of Lechery, "What the hell where you thinking?" her hissed whisper, bounced off the walls behind her. As she punched Henry on the arm, "Couldn't you have waited until we went out, to chow down?" she paced back and forth away from him, feeling somewhat repulsed at the idea of Henry snacking on the older generation, "That woman is old enough to be your mother for chrissake!"

Henry looked bemused at her tirade, as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "Actually I'd hate to correct you Vicki, but Rosa could not possibly be the same age as my mother, she died in 1540." Vicki shook her head at his aristocratic smugness, "Don't be felicitous Henry, I was pointing out the fact that she is a good bit older than the usual happy meals you tend to eat!" He laughed at the vibrant description she gave of the type of woman he liked to charm, relished at the hint of jealousy lurking in the invisible lines she drew, "One does not always pick and chose the menu, when the elements are against them. Rosa had come into the basement just as I had made my escape. I waited ten minutes on the outside watching her snoop around the place, before she went back upstairs. Thinking on your feet is what keeps a Vampire one step away from a wooden stake."

Vicki backed down at his statement, so Rosa was being nosey? That didn't bode well with what they were in Detroit for. Nor did it make Henry's stay there any safer than sitting in the car and allowing the sun to turn him into a toasted bagel, "What happened?" her concern was for his safety, he was her responsibility while they were investigating her leading case. The last thing she wanted was to put his life in jeopardy. Keeping his voice low, Henry responded to her line of questioning, replaying all that happened, "Once she left, I came around to the front and introduced myself. Asked if you were about, remembering your alias of course. Rosa was most helpful in informing me that you had taking the dog out for a walk and offered to make me a drink..."

"Of course you just couldn't say no to her offer?" Vicki bit back dryly, as Henry chuckled at her meaning, "As I said, sometimes there are some opportunities you just can't afford to pass up. We were simply chatting when you walked in on us. She really is a sweet lady Vicki, a bit nosey...but still sweet." Vicki didn't know whether to laugh or throw up at his term of endearment at the overly interested woman who owned the guest house, but now was not the time to go splitting hairs as the subject could now have her trained ears pinned to the door, "Okay, you made your point; we'd better get going before we have Mrs. Clements barging in on us, batting those baby blues at you again."

She opened the door and left ahead of him, waving at the woman in question before she went out the door. Henry walked slowly behind her, making sure to close the door behind him, "Can I help it if women find me attractive?"

* * *

She felt safe when they were finally on the road once more and some distance away from the guest house, "I never got to thank you for stuffed Eddie. Dare I ask where you got him from?" she asked, glancing across at him as they entered the open road, heading towards Windsor Grove Residential Home. Henry grinned and turned towards her, catching the curious gaze she gave him, "I thought you would like him. Personally speaking, my looks far out way the feral crossbreed you have such a fixation on?" Vicki gave him a dry look, trying hard not to buy into his modesty, "Will you just tell me, please?"

Nodding, bemused Henry indicated and manoeuvred his car across the freeway towards the sign post for the home, "Very well, a friend got him for me just before we left. I had it stored in the trunk, taking it out when we reached the service station and you went to freshen up. I figured you needed something more reliable that just your imagination and P.I thinking, to convince a total stranger you had a dog!"

Vicki smiled; he did have a point, as pained as it was to admit she hadn't thought that far ahead, simply relived that she had been able to ascertain a room and storage facility for her beloved animal,

"Whatever would I do without you Henry?" Henry grinned at Vicki's statement and once more relished in being able to do things for her. He prided himself at being able to attend to every woman's needs, but he also prided himself at helping in situations that called for his wealth of experience, at living under a different pseudonym and having to remember what lies were told, "We seemed to have got away with it - for now. Although, I would suggest my sleeping arrangements should alter tonight? I didn't get a chance to find out why she had come down to the basement, other than possibly suspicion about the dog..."

"Maybe you were moving about too much, you know making too much noise?" Vicki offered as suggestion, and was quickly rebuffed by Henry's scowl, "I have not lived as long as this. Sometimes hiding in some of the most despicable of places, and not be able to get around without the need to announce my presence." Vicki sensed his anger and felt like a chum for thinking Henry would have been responsible for nosey Rosa to take a peak, "You're right, I'm sorry Henry. Of course you wouldn't have done anything to jeopardise your location. It seems that are over-friendly guest house owner just can't be fooled". Vicki sighed as she looked out the window at the approaching Billboard, welcoming everyone to Windsor Grove Residential and Private Nursing Home.

"Pity though, I really like Eddie. He's loyal, totally house-trained, doesn't argue back and his fur is so soft." Her smile was mischievous as Henry parked the car, "Now I'm intrigued, just what did you both get up to this afternoon?" Vicki enjoyed this type of humour that floated in and out of their relationship. With Henry he always found a way of bringing intimacy into everything they talked about, "Aww don't get jealous Henry it doesn't suit you. If you're good, I'll let you sleep at the bottom of my bed tonight?"

She opened the car door and hopped out, not waiting for his response as he watched her stand beside his car, waiting for him to join her, "Promises, promises!"

The place smelt of disinfection and carbolic soap. A strange mixture as several of its residents moved about in slow succession, while Henry and Vicki announced themselves at the reception desk. Windsor Grove, offered up a good clean environment with around the clock care, meals three times a day with indoor and outdoor activities for those who could get about unaided. Giving their names and who they wanted to see, they stood waiting patiently until one of the male uniformed nurses came from for them, announcing that Mr. McDermott was waiting for them in his room. Following the nurse, they each kept a watchful eye on the signposts to the various annexes that housed the residences rooms. Arriving at the door of retired FBI agent McDermott, they were let into a brightly lit room with a lamp on every table in every possible corner that filled such a small living space. Sitting by the window in a wheelchair, shoulders hunched forward as if reading something, sat a grey, almost balding man in a dressing gown. As the nurse announced he had visitors, the man turned his wheelchair around and looked at them both with small piercing brown eyes, "Well you took your time getting here!"

Henry glanced across at Vicki, as the nurse closed the door and allowed them some privacy. The old man held up his hand to ward Vicki speaking, as he wheeled past them to the door, turning the handle and pulled it open, "Frank, I want to speak to my niece in privacy if you don't mind?" The nurse glared down at the old man protesting, "You know the rules, too many have been broken already this week..."

"I don't give a rat's ass what has been broken this week. This is my blood son, and I demand to have some privacy to speak to her and this young man!" Henry and Vicki could see the male nurse struggle with being spoken to so harshly but a man old enough to be his grandfather, "Alright, half an hour and then its lights out. Man, Matron will be so pissed!" he turned away and walked back up the same corridor he had brought Henry and Vicki down, "Yeah well, with a face that can sour lemons, she must be pissed all the time!" Dylan McDermott closed the door shut and turned his wheelchair around to greet his guests, "Names McDermott, I take it you're the people want to ask me about the murders in '58?

Feeling a sense of relief at finding the infamous agent behind the case on five previous murders that matched the ones she was investigating, Vicki nodded and was promptly asked to take a seat in the chairs that sat around a small table that held old newspaper clippings. Once seated, Special Agent McDermott parked his wheelchair beside them and fished his glasses out of the top pocket of his worn dressing gown, "I have prayed for the day someone would actually listen to what I have to say. The bloody Bureau made a stupid mistake letting him go!"

Henry nudged Vicki and motioned for her to speak, glaring at him Vicki cleared her throat, "You have a name for the suspected killer of the murders you were investigating, how do you know it's the same person that is doing the killings in Toronto?" the retired Agent gave her a ghost of a smile, as he lifted up a newspaper article from 'The Detroit News' the date October 14, 1958, "because the killer is the same one I almost put away fifty years ago to the date. He cost me my badge and almost my life!"

Henry and Vicki read the article, suggesting that the recent spate of frenzied attacks where the victims died from horrendous injuries after having their livers removed, was down to one person, thirty-three year old cleansing assistant called Edgar Poole. The photograph showed a sullen looking man, Caucasian with dark straight hair, an ordinary looking face, and deep set eyes with teeth that protruded over his lower lip. Scanning the article they were able to pick out that the extensive investigation that lead to Edgar Poole being arrested. Was lead by none other than Special Agent Dylan McDermott, who they had come to see. Vicki had been giving this much from Mike but what else did this man have to offer, or were they here simply wasting their time, "So tell me, what made you suspect Mr. Poole of these murders? Surely you must have had some pretty hard evidence against him to have him arrested?"

The old man smiled as he lifted up a scrapbook and threw it down in the middle of the table, "I like your style missy, direct and to the point. Can't say I blame you for your doubts. Lord knows I've had my far share of swipes at my sanity over the years." He sat back as Henry opened the book and flicked through the various clippings, recalling the five murders, "Ms. Nelson has to be wary of who she speaks to, regarding similarities in the case she herself is investigating. As a law man yourself, you must know the importance of exploring every avenue in the attempt to catch the killer before they strike again?" Henry laid the importance of his statement by fixing the old man with a lengthy stare. The retired agent bowed his head apologetically as he smiled at Vicki and continued while Henry read about each murder, "The started a week into October, the first one was a fifteen year old girl on her way to school. She was found no more than two hundred yards from her house, savaged as if she had been attacked by a wild animal, the liver was missing as if something reached into her gut and removed it."

Vicki visibly shuddered but allowed the old man to continue, "The second was old woman Turnbill, she was a spinster that owned the Dollar and Dine restaurant in the city, same M.O. Everyone loved her, so you can imagine when she was found, calls for this murderer to be found reached the ears of our Office. The Police Department was swamped with anxious townsfolk who felt that it the streets were not safe, so the FBI was called in to assist in finding out who was doing this. You have to understand Miss Nelson, I was no wet behind the ears rookie, I had given ten years already to the FBI and I had been successful in my profiling cases, which is why when I found a pattern I went with my gut instinct," she nodded knowing full well that your gut instinct was never wrong, "So then what happened?"

Dylan McDermott looked over Henry and Vicki's heads as the ghosts of the past came flooding back, "It was after the third victim, a Marine who worked in the local recruitment office that I discovered a pattern. In each case, the victim was found in a locked room, with either a locked window or no window access at all. In each murder, the victim was attacked, their livers removed, and their bodies left where they lay, with no signs of a forced entry." Vicki nodded in the worryingly similar ways the victims back home where found, "Sounds very much like what I'm investigating right now..."

"AH, but here is where it gets interesting, I spent several sleepless hours going over and over the crime scene photos looking for clues that would lead me to catch the killer. The fourth victim was one of the most influential lawyers we had in the city, Magnus Fairbanks. Magnus always wore a diamond crusted ring on his left hand, it held his family crest and was something he never took off. In all the years I had seen this man during court appearances that ring always sat on his finger. When the crime scene photos came back, the ring was missing from his hand. I then checked each of the victim's photos, matched them with interviews that where conducted with the next of kin, and found that the previous victims also had personal items missing from their bodies. With the schoolgirl, her watch that had been given to her for her birthday by her grandmother, Mrs Turnbill a ruby hair pin she always wore in her hair. The Marine, his Laurel insignias from his shirt and then there was Magnus."

"So the Killer was taking trophies for the purpose of allowing him to remember his conquests?" Henry implied and Dylan nodded, "Seemed that way with me, so I dug a little further and discovered that in each murder, there had been a sighting of a young man mid thirties, forgetful features that tended to be around when the victims had been alive. In the old lady's case, she had hired a guy from a Cleansing firm to help with keeping her dinner clean. The same with the Corp office, they had hired a man from the same Cleansing firm to clean their offices at the end of each shift. With Magnus, his office was downtown and they had often hired from the same firm to keep the place clean. Of course this was the biggest lead yet after sitting on our asses for over a month with nothing to show for it. The only killing that didn't make sense was the school girl, there was no evidence to lead us to believe she knew him or that the firm hired out cleansing staff to homes,"

"I take it the man that everyone recognised as being the cleansing assistant was, this Edgar Poole guy?" Vicki asked, already certain of the answer, "You got it Missy, one and the same. Each description was as accurate as the next, and as we had no evidence he actually committed the murders, only that he could be placed at the scene prior to the crimes, I decided to keep an eye on him. You know - keep a close enough distance so as not to spook him." Vicki heard Henry snort, and chose to ignore him as she pushed on, "I take it that Edgar didn't take to well to being followed?"

It was Dylan McDermott's turn to snort as he sat back in his chair, "He paid too much attention to dodging my hideouts, drawing attention to the fact that he was more than likely guilty of the murders. Of course he reported me to the Police, stating I was stalking him. I got rapped a couple of times over it, but it didn't stop me from doing it. I was convinced he had killed four people, I staked my career on it."

Henry pointed to one of the surveillance photos, showing a building, "Where was this taking?"

Dylan lifted the photo up and looked at it with a wilted smile, "Ah, this was the biggest break to my case and one that if you hadn't have been there, you would've believed it was possible. I had him followed to this outbuilding on the Riverside bank. Now this place had lain derelict for around twenty years or so, not exactly the sort of place you would settle down and live right?"

Henry's smile was genuine, "You'd be surprised," causing the old man to laugh, "Yeah, I guess I would. You seem the type that has been around a few dusty places in your time?" Vicki rolled her eyes as she tried to rein the conversation back around, "you could say that, so did you go inside this...outbuilding?" Dylan leaned forward, fixing Vicki with a pointed stare, "I did, and so help me god, it was like stepping into the very bowels of hell."

The comment came as a bit of a shock to Vicki as she watched the old FBI agent visible shake as he recalled what he discovered in entering the outbuilding, "There was myself and my partner Dave Robertson, we both went in to see where Edgar was heading and of course to get a feel of the type of person he was. Mostly a loner, he didn't keep acquaintances, you know. No young ladies were ever seen with him, so you can tell we were pretty eager to find out just what made this man tick. I'm telling you if I hadn't seen the place, I would have thought you were feeding me some long winded science fiction crap!"

Dylan recalled entering the building and smelling what could only be described as decay. Vomit came to mind as they made their way along a long tunnel down into the lower floor of the building, making sure that their route was the same and the well worn foot imprints of Edgar, to dodge the suspicious looking floorboards that were hanging on by dust and decay. When they finally came to an entrance that opened up into a space no bigger than four foot by ten, that's when they made their grim discovery. At the far end of the wall was a hole no bigger than the size of a small child. Bricks had been pulled away and in its place, newspaper, or what looked like some kind of paper plastered across the hole with a sticky substance. When Robertson shown his torch on the hole, it was joked that it looked indeed like vomit or green bile, it sure smelt that way. Being younger and also a lot slimmer, they each managed to squeeze into the hole and down some steps that lead to an underground passage and it was there that they found the personal items that had been missing from the four victims bodies,

"I'm telling you it was a gruesome discovery seeing them all sitting there like some kind of trophy," Dylan shuddered as he recalled the image, "Like I said, it has been known for killers to take trophies as keepsakes," Henry replied, watching Vicki's face pale in case he gave too much of his own history away, "As far back as the eighteenth, murder victims were found with heirlooms missing, taking by their killer." He smiled then, offering up an excuse for why he would have knowledge of this, "I research gruesome murders as a hobby," Dylan nodded as he scratched his face, "That as it may be lad, but I bet you haven't come across a more grizzly one as this now...?"

"Ah, so you found the items," Vicki cut in between Henry and Dylan, not exactly wanting to go through a blow by blow account on what each other had seen. Henry chuckled beside her and allowed Vicki to carry on, "You said that when you went into the building, Edgar was just in front, so where did he go?"

"Well we figured he might have known he was being followed, and somehow outsmart us by running away. We called in our location and began lifting the evidence when Dave heard a noise just outside. I left him to go and look while I bagged the evidence that would put this monster away. That's when I heard the noise, a deep growling like an animal".

Vicki and Henry sat transfixed as Dylan leaned back in his wheelchair and closed his eyes, his mouth still speaking as his voice dropped to a whisper, "I could feel him so close, his breath, if I live to be a hundred I will never forget the smell and his deep, deep breathing. I pulled out my piece and spun around, that's when I came face to face with the devil himself. I couldn't call out, I was literally frozen to the spot as he lunged, taking me to the ground. That's when I felt the pain in my side, as if all my skin was being torn off my body. I can recall yelling for Dave, as this animal tried ripping me apart, I swore I thought I going to die as a pain unlike anything I have ever felt before tore through me. I heard a yell, saw a gun fire and then darkness. Woke up the next day having survived almost being his fifth victim..."

Dylan opened up his dressing gown, and pulled the shirt of his pyjamas up to reveal a scar across one side of his stomach towards his hip and down, as if he had been torn at by an animal with sharp claws, "My battle scar from talking Edgar Poole in his lair, if it hadn't been for Dave hearing my screams...well, I wouldn't be alive today to tell the tale."

Vicki absorbed this information and Special Agent McDermott's close brush with death, but still a lot of questions lay unanswered, "just one quick question Mr. McDermott, and then we will leave you to get ready for bed. You said in your report he was arrested at the scene and charged with the four accounts of murder, plus injuries you sustained from tackling him, yet he walked free from police custody...?"

Closing his dressing gown, Dylan nodded as he gripped the armrests of his chair, "He didn't walk free Miss Nelson. You see in my time sitting in semi retirement, it has allowed me to dissect all the evidence that the FBI held on Edgar Poole. He had no criminal record, no medical records, no drivers licence...nothing to say who he was or where he came from. Yes he was arrested and charged with all murders, including like you said my own almost demise. The problem arose when transporting him to prison, somehow he escaped from the Prisoner Transport vehicle, although no one could explain how he did it. He was locked in, with no way out of the back, it's a sealed box that prisoners are..."

"Yes, I know" Vicki began, as she slipped her glasses off and smiled at him with understanding, I'm well aware the security implications of moving prisoners," Dylan nodded agreeing, "Then you'll understand the shock when the Vehicle was missing one of the most deadliest murderers in my opinion, with no clue as to where he was. Later that afternoon the fifth victim was found on the other side of town, liver missing...a beggar who has spent his entire life on the streets, he didn't deserve to die, none of them did..."

"Yet you did, that must account to something?" Henry asked as the old man mulled over a past that had spanned fifty years of his life, "I survived not having my liver ripped out of my gut, but that doesn't mean I don't see those victims faces every night before I go to sleep. Miss Nelson the murderer you have in your City is the same man that killed fifty years ago, I would stake my last breath on it. Somehow he does something to himself, I don't know what, that allows him to live longer than anyone else I know. The murders are the same right down to the organ that's missing you must see that?"

Vicki shook her head, "I see something, I don't know what at this moment but if what you are telling me is true, then we have a limited amount of time before he strikes again."

"He won't do it for a day or so, too much heat will be around him for another attack. The more advertising about these killings will bring him out, he will be doing a low paying job, something with no future aspects and an opportunity to pick his victims at random". Vicki nodded as she absorbed this information, standing up she offered her hand to the retired Agent, as Henry closed the scrapbook and joined her, "Thank you for giving us your time Mr. McDermott, and for telling us what happened to you." The old man shook Vicki's hand and then Henry's as he wheeled his chair back towards the door of his room, "Keep in touch Ms. Nelson, you need to nail this bastard before it's too late."

Smiling, Vicki looked at Henry as they opened the door, "You look after her young man," Dylan offered his parting goodbyes as they left his room full of his memories, "And may god protect you both."

They reached the car, both deep in thought as Henry opened the passenger side to let Vicki in, "So what are your initial thoughts about the old guy?" she asked snapping in seat belt as he joined her, "Well, he is either speaking the truth," began Henry, "or the medication they are giving him at night has gone right to his head!" Vicki rolled her eyes as he started the engine, "Come on be serious for a minute here?"

He switched the engine off and turned towards Vicki in the dimness of the cars interior, "I believe him, from what he's saying this sounds exactly like the killer we are dealing with." Vicki groaned as the held her head against the car window, "That's what I was afraid off, so what exactly are we're dealing with?" Henry looked out into the night, his thoughts ran from one conclusion to another, and neither Vicki would like to hear, "Whatever it is, it needs to feed of the organ of its choice. Then it regenerates. We have already gone over possibly mutations but this is one I have never come across. It is possible that this is an old soul, which means we are looking in the wrong books on how to kill it."

Vicki nodded as she followed his train of thought, sighing at the already wasted time hunting him down, "We have a name at least, I can get Coreen to check on the data base, to find out if any Edgar Poole's are registered in Toronto. Dylan mentioned it would be lying low, because of the attention drawn to the murders?" It was Henry's turn to nod, "He doesn't want to compromise himself again. He was almost caught the last time, it would have weakened his sense of safety and made him more wary of killing so close together,"

Vicki couldn't help a touch of sarcasm lacing her voice at Poole's plight, "Gee, I almost feel sorry for him that the law governing the 'not killing people for their meat', cramps his style," Henry chuckled at Vicki's dry wit, that was always a welcome relief to the seriousness of the situation, "Nevertheless, it buys us some time to get back, hopefully before he strikes again. Only this time, he will not escape."

"Now that Henry, is something we can both agree on!"


	8. Chapter 8

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Authors noteThank you all once again for the lovely comments left about this story, I am glad you are all enjoying it, and now a little bit of a tease to tie you over until I can get them back home to Toronto.

Chapter Eight...

They returned to the guest house under the cover of darkness, slipping up the stairs and avoiding bumping into dear old Mrs. Clements in case she wanted to make them tea, or have another go at Henry's impressive fangs. So now they had a name and a background story that matched the one that Mike had sent Vicki through email. With one more day before they could head back to Toronto, Vicki was finding the hanging around a bit too much to handle, when all she really wanted to do was catch the monster before he struck again and end his insufferable existence...the other worry was the sleeping arrangements between herself and Henry?

As much as she dared not admit it, the closest she had ever been to sleeping with him, was when he had been injured by Asteroth's minor demon and she promised to keep watch on him until his wounds healed. The other time was with Coreen of course when Pachacamac was invading Henry's head with his nightmares, forcing Vicki to choose between Henry living and Henry dying, which sort of snow-balled the whole 'trust' issue between them.

Now here she was in her room, with a four poster bed, in the middle of the night, in a strange city with a Vampire as a roommate. Things were just peachy, as she tossed her jacket onto the chair by the window and went to the mini bar that was locked, until she took out her well used tools of the trade to opening just about anything, and got it open. She could feel Henry's eyes bore into her back as he slid himself onto the large bed, crossed his ankles and leaned on one elbow, "So, what side do you like to sleep on?"

She was in the middle of forcing the cap of the mini bottle of whiskey as he spoke, causing her to jump around with a startled jolt, "W-What?"

Henry grinned as he patted the mattress, as if checking for the spring capacity, "I asked what side do you sleep on, left or right?"

Managing the cap, Vicki didn't even bother locating a glass as she downed the fiery liquid in one gulp. Coughing slightly as it burnt down the length of her throat, "Henry you're not seriously asking me which side I prefer? It wouldn't be practical to...t-o..."

"Sleep together?" his eyebrow cocked, as his smile bowed to a grin. A lazy seductive overtone laced the words, making them seem more personal than merely a statement. Vicki could feel her heart accelerating in her chest and quelled down the urge to suppress the longing that was possibly crying out loud, "we can take turns in sleeping. I go first seeing as I don't fry in daylight and then when you sleep, I will keep watch. Catch up with Coreen, see how much she has been able too..."

Henry shook his head as he sat up and crossed his legs, biting with sarcasm, "Of course, the ever practical, ever resourceful Vicki Nelson thinks of everything!" It was Vicki's turn to look at him with distain, as she tossed the empty bottle into the small trash bin and snatched another up, "We have a case to solve here Henry and not a lot of time to do it. Unlike you, my mind is on the job, where is yours?"

He slid of the bed and took his position opposite Vicki, taking the unopened bottle from her fingers, "The same as yours of course, but all work and no play makes Vicki a very dull woman indeed!"

She could feel the pull of his eyes on her, and the chemistry between them zing to life, "Okay mister, then if it's on the job, what do we do about Edgar Poole?" she watched his face soften as his hand reached up and lifted a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail, and play with it, "Personally speaking I am not much for inviting another man into the bed..." at Vicki exasperated intake of breath he continued, "however, he is of no threat right now. You heard the retired agent; he will be most likely hiding out until the dust settles. If he has created too much interest in his whereabouts, his best course of action is to wait it out,"

"Are you sure?" Vicki didn't want to get her hopes up that no more killings will happen for a while, giving her enough time to flush him out. Henry shook his head, "He would be very stupid to try and take another life so soon after the last one. If he has drawn attention, then it would be wise to wait a while. We all have our methods of hunting, I have not lived this long not to get sloppy."

Vicki had to agree with his statement, she had seen, heard and researched enough about Vampires, to know they were a solitary race that lived amongst humans, surviving extinction by hunting little but often to keep themselves alive. Although she would never compare Henry to Edgar Poole, they did have similarities in the necessity to survive, just with a more gruesome ending for Poole's victims, whereas Henry had shown her that for him to kill someone was only as the last resort, if the case of Javier Mendoza was anything to go by,

"Okay, so what do you suggest we do about catching him? Surely there must be someone who knows who he is?" her question hung in the air between them as Henry stopped playing with her hair, and dropped his hand. Resigned to the fact that Vicki was not going to let the matter drop, he moved past her to the window with his back to her, "He will have lived amongst humans for a very long time now,"

"How long?" Vicki came to stand beside him, folding her arms to match his own, "How long do you think he has...existed?"

Henry took a deep breath and looked down at Vicki, watched the residual light from outside cast shadows on her face, "Older than time itself, he's an ancient one. I have read about such dammed creatures that have mutated through the universes evolvement, surviving in regenerating its growth, taking enough to survive through the regeneration process. If what the retired agent has said is true...then he has taken on a form that he likes, and will look exactly the same as he did fifty years ago."

Vicki shivered as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, "So, how do we kill him, it?"

Henry smiled slightly at hearing her concern and labelling of an old one, "I think it's more of the case of catching him first don't you think?" she pulled a face at his nit picking around the issue of 'catch first kill later', as Henry smiled, returning his focus back to the night sky, "If he has killed three people, then that means he needs to take another two to be able to return to his lair and go back into a state of hibernation for his return once more fifty years from now,"

"So, that means if I don't catch him now, I will be almost eighty when he wakes up again? Gee talk about giving a girl a time limit," Vicki shook her head as she snorted, causing Henry to laugh, "I know not much consolation for you. I suppose if your wheelchair bound, I can always push you while you do the deed?"

Vicki smiled, as she touched her heart with her hand, "Aww really Henry that is so sweet of you to put yourself through all that effort because of little ole me?" he leaned in as his eyes captured her own in a promise, "Rest assured it would be no effort on my part. Henry Fitzroy takes his duties very...seriously!"

Vicki sense the change in atmosphere around them again, felt his magnetic pull once more gaining the upper hand, "Ahuh, well in that case you'd better pray we get him this time. I don't much fancy having to rub ointment on my aging limbs to weld an axe at his head!"

Henry slowly grinned at her, turning his body in her direction. He could feel Vicki's resistance to his charms and almost wished this game of tug of war would be over soon. Their arrangements couldn't have worked out better if he had planned them himself. Having the owner offer the room to both of them meant he could spend as much time as he dared in the company of a woman that both angered and aroused him at the same time. Pulling together for this case was a blessing to try and regain some ground they had lost during Asteroth's uprising. Now that he was walking in human form amongst the people he lived amongst, put a deeper sense of threat upon his unnatural life. Having Vicki involved in all of it had been the most painful acknowledgment he'd had to face since his betrayal of Christina, returning and claiming she had needed help. In that instance Vicki was thrown into danger with his need to protect her, almost an obsession.

This creature that fed on the human organ for its survival could not be allowed to live another regenerative growth. Its very existence put his own life in threat, even if he had not been in contact with him. His life-force would be a coup if he was to be discovered, and having born witness to an Incan High Priest wanting the exact same thing, keeping Vicki away from any tool that she would use to make sure he was kept alive, was something Henry would do at any cost,

"Then in that case, we leave tomorrow night at sunset and start looking when we get back. In the meantime...it's almost bed time for you. As a gentleman, and a noble Prince, I can assure you that your virtue will be completely safe in my hands," Vicki smiled and raised her eyebrows, "My virtue eh? Wow Henry Fitzroy protector of a maiden's virtue now that is something I would pay to see?" Henry closed his eyes and clucked his tongue as he spoke, "I have not faulted in being able to keep my hands to myself. I do not apply pressure for a lover to lie with me. Any woman that willingly comes to my bed, does so because she so desires!"

Vicki stared at his face with a mixture of humour and jealousy, "Oh, of course not, that and your Vampire mojo works every time..."

"I do not have mojo Vicki?" Henry replied as he inched closer to stand with barely room between them, "I have charisma, charm if you will..."

"Yeah...you've told me that before Henry," Vicki commended him for always being consistent, "seems that's your way of saying that with a little persuasion, woman just fall into your bed,"

He lifted his hand and gently stroked a finger down her soft cheek, the pull between them was unbearable and as her heart raced, he felt it sing to him through the darkness, "Like I've said, women willingly give themselves over to the power of seduction, of passion. We all are slaves to the beat of what our bodies want, what they crave, even you Vicki?"

She tried shaking her head, but it wouldn't move. Felt the heat draw in her belly and the liquid flow through her limbs. Danger was too late to worry about, with the little alcohol she had in her system her reactions where slower to his charm that was working better than he would have ever believed, "I'm not a slave to anything Henry, I've been able to fight off the urge to give into temptation up until now..."

"Mmm, interesting," he responded by encircling her waist with one of his hands, while playing with the softness of her skin, starting with her cheek to her earlobe and down the side of her face, to the delectable column of her throat. Watched with delight as she shivered and closed her eyes in response, "you don't seem to be fighting temptation that well right now?"

"Who says I want to fight?"

She felt his response before she saw it; his husky scent, the smell that was uniquely him had woven its way around all her senses and the pull of his arm that was around her waist, tightened like a brand that also pulled at her heart. Witnessed the darkness in the depths of his blue eyes as his face came closer, inch by painful inch. His body was a welcome bolster against the storm that was raging inside her head, crying for the need to think rationally when all she wanted to do was loose herself to the flames. She felt his lips hover of hers as she closed her eyes and drank in his scent. A small moan had escaped from her parted lips, giving Henry the cue he needed as he devoured their softness and pulled her into a deep wet, all consuming kiss.

Vicki could feel her lungs crushing what little air there was inside them as she tangled her hands in Henry's hair, his strong face, melting as he kissed her as if his very life depended on it. She felt him nip at her lower lip, as she opened up and allowed the first sweep of his tongue to entrap hers in a glorious hedonistic mating dance. He pulled at her head as he tilted her head back, deepening the kiss and she could hear the deep groan from his throat, as a reward for the angle, taking the kiss deeper. Liquid pooled in her stomach and in between her thighs as all senses came alert in one fluid motion that she was being walked back slowly towards the bed.

Joyous to Henry's assault on her mouth, Vicki felt the desperate pull of need as the back of her knees hit the bottom of the bed, taking a much needed breath through her nose she ran her hands across his shoulders and down his arms as her body fell onto the welcome mattress. Henry positioned his body across hers, ensuring he wasn't crushing her as he nipped and bit at her lips. Savouring the taste and the murmured moans that threatened to drive him over the edge. He had what he'd wanted in what seemed forever, Vicki Nelson, below him and writhing in happiness. Felt her responsive body cry out for his touch, drunken on his kisses, he could only imagine what it would be like to unite with her completely. Feel her orgasm as it hit her and he drank from her sweetness. Now it seemed all his prayers were about to be answered...

The shrill was nothing but a distraction at first, like a mosquito hovering above your ear, calling to be swatted. As Vicki groaned into Henry's mouth, his hand locating the underside of her shirt and moved slowly up. Then it began to be an annoyance as it got louder, a shrill then vibrate, a shrill then vibrate, as fingers played along her ribcage and went higher, higher, higher...

"COREEN!"

The name tore from Vicki's throat as she gasped, pulling her lips from Henry's. She could feel the emotional strain as Henry allowed her to disengage her body from his as she sat up and snatched her cell phone from the nightstand, answering the call,

"H-Hello, yes C-Coreen I'm here...what...oh sorry about that, I-I was running up the stairs when you rang." She glanced across at Henry, feeling her cheeks redden as she tried to explain to her assistant of lousy timing why she sounded so out of breath, "N-no, he's here, yeah we've just got back from the retirement home..." she felt Henry's body leave the bed and took in a deep calming breath, as she touched her fingers to her tender lips from his assault. What the hell had happened that allowed her to abandon all sense of control and give in? She had to admit he was good at distracting her, well at many things she thought dryly, as Coreen rattled on in the background keeping her up to date with the case. They had come so close to the edge of complete and utter recklessness that she found herself squeezing her thighs tight to fight of the urge of disconnecting the call, and jumping him from where he stood with his back to her once more at the window.

Her fuzzy brain was finally back on the case as she gave Coreen the name of the man/thing they needed to catch and asked her to pull up anything on him or his last known whereabouts. As they were heading back tomorrow evening, she would hope by then her assistant would have at least something on their mysterious liver extractor and well on their way of getting him off the streets once and for all. As long as she survived the night that is?

"Okay, well if my mysterious emailer strikes again Coreen would you let me know?"

Coreen assured her she would and that Vicki should enjoy the rest of the night, as long she stopped running up the stairs and took a far more leisurely pace. Sensing there was a double entendre there; Vicki disconnected and placed the phone back on the table. The air that had been electrically charged between them, now stood muted as she watched the rise and fall of Henry's shoulders. She had been more concerned of her own inner struggle of giving into the temptation that was Henry, and had forgotten that he too must be suffering from their hasty departure, "Coreen has some sense of bad timing huh?" she bit her desire swollen lip and waited for a response, none came,

"Look Henry, I'm really sorry about that, but I'd promised to keep in touch with Coreen and it sorta slipped my mind. Hence the call in the middle of all this..."

He turned slowly then, his eyes cast in shadows as he gazed at her still sitting on the bed. Her hair was tussled from his hands roaming through it, her cheeks flushed from their kissing, her mouth...his own parched as he recalled how it felt underneath his. He wanted to growl out loud for having been disturbed in the throes of such a pleasurable kiss, tasted the sweetness that was and only could be uniquely Vicki, yet knew that the timing stalled them for a reason. He didn't want to go into anything with Vicki that she did not want. She had stroked his ego with her questioning over his prowess in bed and seduction of women. Almost joked at his ability to allow a woman to so willingly come to his bed without the need to plant that thought in her head. It did nothing but annoy his own self esteem at being that low a person to persuade, using techniques other than those he remembered as a human, to succeed in having a woman lie with him. That he wanted to prove to Vicki it could be done. He had known it would be a dangerous line he crossed over when he gave into that temptation to prove her wrong, had seen the doubt and fear that was cast in her eyes, before she gave into her own passion and succumbed to the idea. He has rejoiced inside at this moment, a time when he truly felt alive at having this state of distraction so willingly open up, and she had not disappointed.

In the dimness of the light in the room now, he could tell how fatigue sat on her bones and how much she needed to rest. They had a long journey back ahead of them and a killer to catch. He knew her mind would not rest until Edgar Poole was caught, eliminated was his choice of wording and a sense that it was that, that restored the balance between them. Vicki would need her rest and he would sit and watch over her as she slept. Then, as the first fistful of rays settled over the horizon, he would lie down beside her and allow the day to take him,

"You need to sleep; I will sit by the window and keep you safe,"

Vicki blinked then nodded, she was tired but she had expected, hoped that they would talk about what had just happened, "A-Are you sure?"

She witnessed the tick at the side of his cheek and knew that it would be unwise to force the issue; he was being as he put it 'a gentleman and a Noble Prince, "I am very sure!" his teeth were clenched, making it sound more like a hiss than anything, "I will turn my back until you are safely in the covers," with that he turned around once more and offered the view of his strong shoulders, broad back and even more tempting muscular male butt, that had Vicki's mouth watering all over again. Quickly divesting herself of her top and jeans, kicking off her boots and socks, she climbed in between the cool sheets and brought them right up until they were under her chin, "I'm good!"

Henry turned slowly again and with measured fluid movements, he came to stand at the side of the bed and look down at the woman lying on starch white pillows. Emphasizing her pale skin and blond hair that was loosened from her usual display of neatness, "Goodnight Victoria, sweet dreams..." Henry leaned down and captured her lips in the most tender of kisses, that made Vicki fight of the strong urge to cry. The way he made her full name sound, almost like a whisper causing the mood around them to become intimate and caressing. Taking in a deep breath, Vicki smiled up at him and nodded as he withdrew away, "I'll be awake before it's your turn!"

Pulling the seat until it was at the bottom of the bed; Henry sat down and made himself comfortable, as he nodded. Extinguishing the light and throwing the room into darkness, "I look forward to it."

With a yawn that came from nowhere, Vicki turned on her side so she could sense him near. With her almost blind focus, everything was thrown into shapes with fuzzy outlines with the removal of her glasses, but that didn't stop Vicki from knowing he was close by. His scent she inhaled with deep measured breathing. His strength and power fed on her comfort as she allowed the images of their shared kisses to alert her senses and start a tingle all over her body that made her shift around until she found a more comfortable resting place. She heard Henry chuckle, as if he detected what was making her wrestle with sleep, "If you must know, I'm just as bereft of your touch. Now go to sleep, we will have another time."

"Smart ass," punching the pillow underneath her head, she reluctantly closed her eyes and tried to shut down her lust infused brain. Within seconds she was sound asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Nine...

She rolled in her sleep, releasing a pleasing sigh as she snuggled further into the covers and deeper into the sleep. Hands tender and calloused touched the skin of her cheek, and she turned herself towards it not wanting it to leave, tangling her long legs around the tugging of the blankets – so many blankets, so warm so wonderfully warm. She could hear a chuckle in the distance, soft, teasing, definitely male as the administrations on her skin caused her to arch towards its feathery touch, the wanton pleasure for it not to stop, please don't stop. In the fogged, lust-filled dream she could feel the heaviness of another body beside her, so close she could almost touch, almost reach out, and almost bring her close to the brink of...

"EMMANUEL!"

Vicki sat bolt upright in bed, the covers down around her ankles, exposing her legs and very little else to the curious gaze of Henry, who was lying on his side, head at the top, feet at the bottom with what looked like a feather in his hand,

"I have been called many things before, more pleasurable sounding than the name Emmanuel. Has he been keeping you company while I've been gone?"

Vicki took in the surroundings and realised very quickly that she was in her room at the guest house, in nothing more than a sports bra and briefs. With Henry sitting with a mocked look on his face, feeling rather smug with himself from having woke her from a wonderful dream. Except it had not been a dream, but the one and only conclusion to her dreamed state of arousal and he had the nerve to think he was being funny?

"I-I..." she stammered as with slight shaky hands her hair was pulled from her face as she squinted at his outline, "Sorry, I didn't realise I have slept for so long..." wanting to get as quickly away as possible from the intimate image of having him lying awake beside her posed, Vicki slid from the side of the bed and pulled her jeans on, trying to find her top without her glasses was proving impossible though, "What is the rush Vicki, don't you think you should be using these?" A pair of glasses entered her peripheral vision, held by a hand, those hands...

"Thanks, I'll just..." she felt like a complete and utter fool for the silly girlish stammering, that had come from absolutely nowhere, and was now threatening her more calmer existence from sounding like a geeky lustful dumb blonde-headed bimbo. Great, just great could things get any worse, actually yes they could as she heard Henry chuckling, amused at the way she was getting on, which when she came to think about it, was making her decidedly worse, "Vicki, Vi-ck-i...Victoria!" on speaking her full name, Henry had managed to get around the same side of the room as she was on and had her firmly by her shoulders and facing him. Pulling on her bottom lip with her teeth, Vicki managed, only just to raise her head and look directly into his now worried eyes, "What?"

Seeing that she was okay, if not redder than a beetroot, Henry relaxed slightly and touched her chin with his fingers, sending a pulse wave through her uncontrollable body and threatened a course of action that would be most detrimental to her state of mind, "I didn't mean to spook you, I let you sleep as long as I could. But the sun is on the horizon and it's time for me to rest."

Vicki felt as if the ground had opened up and swallowed her. Her mental state was going from bad to worse in split seconds as she stood in front of him feeling totally foolish for worrying about a simple thing as waking up next to him, when all he had wanted to do was to have his turn on the bed,

"God, Henry I'm so sorry, sure go ahead have the bed. T-thank you for waking me up!" she tried to withdraw from his hold but he didn't release her. Instead he smiled, the smile that was a destructible element that he held in his power, "You're welcome, and believe me it was my pleasure to watch over you while you slept. Never have I ever had the opportunity to do such an honourable bequest, especially to one as beautiful as you."

Now this was just great, she had managed to rein in her galloping heart from having Henry wake her, he was now romancing her with the sort of words that melted you heart and made you throw your virtue at him, so much for nobility?

"O-kay mister, I think that's enough chivalry for one night. Hop on into bed while I make myself scarce in the shower!"

Henry cocked an eyebrow as the smile that was as devastating as a hurricane, forced itself wider with devilish intent, "If I were not so tired and afraid of becoming dust on the floor...I believe I would take up the offer of sharing one with you!"

Vicki pushed Henry towards the bed, feigning off anymore salacious comments that would get her mind wandering down places it had no right to go, "Beat it buster before i decide to open the curtains and let in the daylight!" she knew Henry would take it as a joke and bowed his head slightly as he moved to the bed, divesting himself of his shirt and shows as he lay down and glanced across at her with tired eyes, "What will you do while I am away?" the sound of mournful departure, made Vicki empathetic to Henry's perplexity of life. When he slept, he always referred to it as dying. He felt nothing, knew of nothing, just complete darkness. It was a life he was used to, one he had lived with for five centuries almost now. To know that she would be spending the day on her own, made his passing seem more poignant, more saddened by his un-natural existence, "I'll keep busy, check in on Coreen, see if she has unearthed anything about Edgar Poole. Do some reading, there's got to be something around here worth spending the day glancing over, even if it is one of those women's magazines Coreen keeps rattling on about."

On seeing the worry still etched on Henry's face, Vicki decided to sit on the edge of the bed, "Henry relax, I'm not going to do anything that will endanger you lying here. I'll make an excuse to Rosa and let her know we're spending the day cuddling up like two concubines, she won't bother us!" In seeing him nod she relaxed slightly, "Besides, its better I sit tight and wait for you to wake. Last thing we need is housekeeping to come in and open the blinds?"

He smiled at this as he closed his eyes, his voice heavy as daylight decided to take hold, "Just stay close, I don't want you getting yourself into any trouble!"

Vicki laughed at this as she watched the dark edges of sleep take hold of him, "Henry, as if I would?" He made a clucking noise in his throat as he opened his eyes, slowly and looked at her, "I will be looking for any sharp metal objects when I awaken. At least you don't have the Grimoire?" She closed her eyes and groaned at his comment directed at her, still bitter after his last awakening when she plunged his sword into his gut and drank from his blood to save him. Incanting the spell that would taint her own, and protect him from being the Incan Mummy's last meal,

"Would you go to sleep already? This time you will be safe...I promise!"

Henry slowly nodded once and with a gasp, he arched his back and went limp, his last un-natural breath escaping in a whisper from his lips. Vicki sighed and slowly lifted her body from the bed, feeling stupid she was doing so as to not disturb him. Yep definitely a whack job she thought muttering to herself, as she walked into the en-suite bathroom. Disrobing, she switched on the hot tap of the shower and welcomed its warmth on her over sensitive skin. This trip had turned out to be an eye opener in more ways than one.

Her first fear obviously had been spending time with her Vampire friend. Things had been left decidedly on edge a month ago, with resentment being the main source of ill feeling. Now her emotions where once again a jumbled mess, the kiss last night had thrown her way off course, had answered many prayers and opened up many more wants and needs she had denied herself from for so long.

Her justified worry of course was the un-naturalness of their relationship; she, human flesh and blood and lives with one lifetime...he, un-human flesh and everyone else's blood with many lifetimes...ergo the problem! She stood her ground with Mike because she felt he needed her more than Henry did. Found his need for her selfish and greedy when all Mike needed was someone in his corner, to cover his back. Of course, she hadn't bargained on Mike turning his back on her when she needed him and hence the 'abandonment issue' she held so highly on both men's parts. Scrubbing her skin and allowing the water to sluice around her head and down her back; she leaned into its torrent as her mind kept going back to the kiss that had awakened the dormant female inside her who begged to be let out. Henry's need to feed of women had been the sore point in each argument about letting go and giving into passion! She wanted passion alright, but with one man and wanted him to have it with her. It wasn't so simple as having Henry one night and then he calling her up and informing her that she wasn't to be welcome in his bed the next as he had bigger fish to fry, at least with Mike he had been consistent. Their relationship had begun fiery and passionate; the illicit affair had to be kept a secret as they had broken every rule in the book with regards to relationships in the workplace. The secrecy only added fuel to the consuming fire that lit up ever time Mike walked in the room, being partners at the time had its advantages and those advantages where never wasted. Of course being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa put an end to not only her confidence, but also their relationship that fizzled out as quickly as it had begun. It had left her feeling resentful towards all men and having relationships, believing her father's abandonment made her a target for all that didn't understand the way she operated. That was until the night she came face to face with what she would have called the serial killer, and turned out to be a very handsome, incredibly young Vampire, who had been hunting down the same thing she was...and their strange sexless relationship begun.

Turning the tap off, she squeezed the excess water from her hair and reached blindly for the towel she had hung just outside the shower door. One year later and here she was in the middle of Detroit, at almost nine in the morning, drying herself off from a one of the fullest night's sleep she'd had in a long time, while in the other room, the same young, handsome Vampire, lay unconscious and not breathing on her bed, definitely she could say her life couldn't be any more complex! Finding her glasses she slipped them on and padded into the room where he lay. Her face softened as she memorised the lines on his striking face and groaned at the unfairness of it all, never having to grow old and watch lines etch themselves into your once flawless skin. To have parts of your body that had always stood pert and ready, head south like swallows for the winter. To watch you age and loose the looks that had once been a head turner, now a ghost of your former self looking back. Henry didn't have that to worry about, forever young right? She had been warned of the temptation to have Henry turn her by Christina, to want to be with him for eternity and stay as young and youthful as she was now...to be able to stop time in a heartbeat and live forever for the night with Henry as her lover. Of course from his point of view she would lose everything. The daytime she loved to walk in, the sunshine on her skin turning it golden with the light, her taste for fine food and wine...and ultimately the greatest sacrifice...him. Could she stand actually losing him forever? Hadn't this last month taught her just how desperately she had missed his company?

No, Henry was much more to her than merely her bodyguard, her protector. He had woven into her life and made her really open up to what was happening around her, to see beyond the blindness that was threatening to rob her of everything and look beyond the superficial and dig deeper into the seedy underbelly of her City. He had taught her about her strengths and weaknesses and how so easy it could be to be seduced by the darkness that tempted with its promises you only dreamed off, wished for, bargaining with Asteroth had taught her that to almost her cost. Now she was not going to let anything get in her way of what she wanted. She wanted everything, not just the letterhead on her office door, not just the acknowledgment for catching the bad guys, not the slap on the back for being a woman and kicking ass...no Vicki Nelson wanted more. She wanted the passion that Henry spoke about, the deep bone numbing seduction that drove the desire that lay muted in her gut, the sense of completeness in spoken words and actions between two people so wrapped up in each other than they wanted to forget the world around them. She deserved to have that happiness, to have that love that she had denied herself from ever finding.

Could she find it with Henry?

The door to the room was knocked, toppling her out of her musings about her 'so called life' pulling a face she went to the door, making sure the towel was snugly secure around her chest, turning the handle and to her surprise, Rosa Clements smiled, holding a laden tray, "Oh, hello dearie, I thought you and Mr. Fitzroy would like some breakfast? Seeing as you got in very late last night, I didn't think I would be seeing you down this morning so I took the liberty of bringing some up to you!"

Vick gasped her own surprise as she glanced quickly behind her to where Henry was lying and leaned the door closer to her back as she replied, "Aw, Mrs. Clements you shouldn't have honestly this is really, really nice of you!" Rosa tried to look behind Vicki, but luck would have it in height and also broad shoulders, Vicki was able to block the door with all of her body, as she took the tray from the owner, causing her to fluster as she handed it reluctantly over, "Oh, it's not a problem; I do it only on exceptional circumstances. It's nice to see such a lovely couple stay with me, makes me think of my wonderful marriage with Mr. Clements." The woman sighed and Vicki inwardly groaned as with misted eyes Rosa continued, "It's very unusual that you see such love and devotion in a relationship these days?"

Covering up a choke with a cough, Vicki smiled down and tried nodding with agreement, "OH, mine and Henry's relationship, is definitely what you would call unusual!"

Rosa smiled and rubbed her hands together, still trying to catch a glance of the still sleeping Henry as she spoke, "It's a lovely day to go for a stroll, goodness knows that handsome dog of yours could do with some exercise?"

With this Vicki paled slightly, damn the woman and her nosey disposition, "OH I checked on him earlier this morning, he's fine honest. We'll be heading home tonight anyways, so we'll be making sure that he is well rested before the journey." Again Rosa nodded satisfied with Vicki's answer, "And Mr. Fitzroy? My, he certainly does love his sleep; I hope the young couple in room four didn't keep you awake too much last night?"

Vicki could feel the beginnings of a tension headache right behind he left eye, as she gave the nosey owner a painfully bright smile, "You know Mrs. Clements, I wouldn't know? Seeing as we were making enough noise ourselves last night!"

The shocked look on Rosa's face was reward enough, as Vicki balanced the tray against her chest and smiled brightly, "Well gotta go and eat this while it's still warm. Thanks once again for the breakfast. You know, I think Henry and I will just lounge around today, catch up from being away from each other. Boy the man just lov-vv-ees to make it up to me!" with that Vicki closed the door, leaving the old woman making blowfish faces in the hallway.

Laughing to herself, she put the tray on the table by the window and poured herself a steaming cup of black coffee, savouring the aroma as she took a long sip from its fragrance, "If I die tomorrow, then today I'll enjoy this!" setting the cup down, she lifted the silver dome of one of the plates to find a delicious array of over easy eggs, crispy bacon and tomatoes. Not one to indulge in many things other than her love for all things Chinese, Vicki fixed herself a small plate and munched on it as she got dressed.

She'd spied some books in the drawer of the nightstand the day before and as she needed something to keep her mind distracted while waiting for Prince Midnight to awaken from his slumber; she could at least try reading something that did not resemble a fire arms magazine or martial arts weapons catalogue.

First thing she needed to do was check in with Coreen to see if she had found anything out about their liver eating monster. On the third ring, Coreen answered with her usual bubbling persona,

"Hello Vicki Nelson Investigations, no case too strange?"

Vicki rolled her eyes and lifted her legs onto the table as she crossed her ankles, Coreen hadn't bothered checking who was ringing, "Coreen it's me, Vicki, any word on our monster of the week?"

"OH Vicki thank goodness you called, you'll never guess who has just left the office...Mike, Mike was here looking for you?"

Vicki sat up, completely bowled over with what Coreen had just said, "Mike, as in Michael Celluci Mike?"

She could hear Coreen giggle as she confirmed it was indeed the same Mike they both were talking about, "In the flesh, came in asking where you were and needed some information on a possible case you were looking into..."

"What?" Vicki rubbed her forehead and cursed under her breath. All month she had waited for him to come and just say hi, let her know he was okay. He couldn't wait until she had left town before sticking his head around her door, "You didn't tell him anything Coreen, we haven't got any proof yet that this Edgar Poole actually exists?" Thinking ahead of herself she stood up and began pacing around, at least Mike had confirmed in his roundabout way he had been the one passing on information about the murders, "I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know Vicki. He was simply stopping by to have a chat, I told him you were out of town and would be back home tonight,"

Vicki winced and stopped pacing, "Did he ask who with?" she knew that Mike would put two and two together straight away, their parting the last time had been marred by her entanglement with Henry, "No, he didn't, but I have a funny feeling he knew you were with Henry." Coreen confessed and Vicki's mood just got decidedly darker, here it goes again, "Well there's nothing I can do about it now. Henry has been vital in getting me here in the first place. I'll call him when I get back, in the meantime...have you found out anything about this Edgar Poole?"

Coreen began speaking enthusiastically about her findings, as Vicki took out her notepad from her bag and began scribbling down notes, "Okay as you suggested I researched the Motor Vehicle data base and the births and registrations for Michigan he didn't come up on any of the searches but, get this! He appears on the births registrars for the Windsor area in 1802."

Vicki stopped writing as the information registered, "W-What, you're kidding me? 1802, as in this Edgar Poole is two hundred and six years old?" she could feel Coreen nod her head in agreement, "Give or take a few months, the scariest thing is that according to recent records he moved from the Windsor area to Canada, around fifty years ago. Last known record of one Edgar Elijah Poole...Toronto!"

Vicki scratched her head, could things get anymore freakish, "Coreen are you sure this is the same person we're talking about? There could be a couple of generations of Poole, is it possible you have taking down the wrong information?" Coreen made a noise on the other end of the phone as her fingers moved along the keyboard of her laptop; the soft tapping noises the only sound other than the rushing of Vicki's blood in her ears, "According to your source, Edgar Poole was the man arrested for the murders of five people back in 1958. His photograph was given to every newspaper in the county by the FBI, claiming he was one of the more vile murderers of their time. Now I accessed that photograph from one of my sources...put it into the data base searching for any known persons matching that description, and this is the only name that has come up, born fifteenth of April, 1802, no death recorded. In fact, other than that, there's nothing on him. No medical record, no dental record, no life insurance, nothing. It's as if he arrived on the planet and just never left!"

Vicki chewed this over as she scribbled down everything that Coreen had just explained, "Well, if that be the case, then it's the same one we now have to stop killing again. If only we knew where he was? I'm telling you Coreen this one's really freaking me out. Anything more from Mohadevan?"

"OH yes she sent you a rather interesting bunch of photographs of the wound that was inflicted on the victim's bodies...hang on I'll just get them,"

Vicki waited until she returned filling up a few pages of her own notes on the case, "Here they are, ugh doesn't matter how many times I look at Morgue photos they still freak me out,"

Again Vicki rolled her eyes waiting for her assistant to get over her repulsion, "Coreen?"

"Right, sorry Vicki, according to Mohadevan the marks around the large wound on each victim appear under further investigation to be bite marks."

Vicki frowned, "As in human bite marks?" Coreen made a noise, "It's possible she said, although with human teeth there would be evidence of tearing of this skin. The teeth spacing seem large and spaced with no tearing,"

Sitting back down on the seat, a worrying picture was beginning to form inside Vicki's head, "It's as if he was biting through cheese. Edgar Poole didn't pull the Victim's livers out by his bare hands; he bit them clean out of their bodies with his teeth!"


	10. Chapter 10

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Ten...

She was totally thrown by the conclusion as to how Edgar Poole was killing and digesting his victims. It put everything else into perspective, she didn't know how, she didn't know what with but the son of a bitch was going down, and he wasn't getting back up again.

The very idea he consumed the livers of his victims was bad enough...the fact he ate them from their bodies was gruesome beyond belief. Just how the hell where they going to catch him never mind kill him? getting up, she pulled out the file that Rajani had given her on the autopsies she had done on the first two victims, now with the added bonus of victim number three added to Poole's entre list, Vicki knew that once he had his final two, he would disappear much like he did on Special Agent McDermott. It was then she took out her notepad and compared the notes of the Agent against Mohadevan, the autopsy of the victims then had been inconclusive as to the nature of the wounds, but on clearer inspection Mohadevan had been right. Bite marks along the outer surface of the skin, as if it had been ripped into by canine incisors with fierce and violent means, the livers ripped out and eaten leaving the victim still possibly breathing at the time, still possibly alive...

"Unholy Bastard!" Vicki spat and closed the file with a shudder. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on what she had read and what Coreen had just given her, thoughts still returned to the bed where a dead man laid, and a certain Detective with a terrible sense of timing. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail to get it away from her face she groaned mostly to herself than to the empty vacuum that was her room, "Great sense of timing Nelson, just what you need right now, complications to happen all over again?"

Headaches, testosterone and 'mine is bigger than yours' was the constant diet in her life this past year and just when she had got things sorted out, just when she felt her life could return back to normal...in breezes Henry and now it seems Mike was making his presence be heard, hooray! Well if he thought for one moment that he was simply going to return back into her life again as if nothing had happened, he could think again. She picked up her cell and began dialling Mike's number when it hit her that maybe now was not the best time to call him, he was after all trying to remain under the radar with the risk he was taking emailing her? Slamming her cell back on the dresser, she glanced across at Henry's still sleeping form and growled, "This is your entire fault do you know that?" then rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding talking to someone that couldn't hear her never mind understand she was even there? Picking up the file, she pulled it open again and began reading. Five hours to sunset and counting, once again Vicki Nelson was babysitting a Vampire and needed something to pass the time.

* * *

Luckily for Vicki, she didn't have to wait for long before her ever-perky assistant called her with some interesting findings, and some things that just didn't add up as far as Vicki was concerned, "Coreen you said that the Edgar Poole that you found is two hundred years old?"

"Yeah, according to a registered birth certificate that on file, he would be about two hundred now, why?"

Vicki shook her head as she spoke, "Nah, it's just something Henry said about this type of demon being an old soul, a mutation of some kind. Would it be possible that maybe the records I dunno, got tampered with, or that this was the most recent made to show his existence? Henry's always commenting on the fact that demons have walked amongst us for centuries, I mean look at him, he's five centuries old?"

Coreen seemed intrigued, "Well, it's possible that this is the only known record to have documented proof he was born. He could be a lot older, but nothing comes up about him prior to this registration. Oh and get this, I was going through all the cleaning companies looking for an employee matching his description and name, nothing I'm afraid but there's an Edgar Poole that works for Twilight Catering...and you'll never guess where they are?"

Vicki shook her head, "I give up spill?"

"The Royal Ontario Museum, a Nick Lassiter hired twenty staff from its company, two weeks ago..."

"Wait a second," Vicki butted in, opening the file again and scanning the pages, "Wasn't he the..."

"Third victim," Coreen finished for her, "Yes he was. Seems we've found Edgar Poole...and I was at the museum on Monday night and, and could've possibly seen him...possibly"

"Now Coreen, don't be getting your shining latex in a twist!" Vicki tried to restore calm to her worrying assistant on the other end, "We don't know for sure if it's the same person, not every creepy thing that passes you by wants to make you a demon bride, that's my department remember?" Vicki rubbed her wrists as she cursed the marks that were responsible for all the craziness that had been happening to her, "Just sit tight with what you know. If, if Mike passes by again, say...high from me and don't be giving him anything until I get back, we don't want to spook Poole."

"Agreed, sorry Vicki, it's just well...I'm still getting used to the idea of not being dead! Even if it would have been so cool," Coreen's perkiness had returned much to Vicki's ultra sense of dismay, "If you don't hear back from me later, then you'll know we are on our way, oh and Coreen?"

"Yes Vicki?"

"Don't be going to the Museum with your little Goth artist-friend okay? Let Henry and I deal with this,"

Coreen laughed, "Okay Mom, I promise I won't go to the Museum until you come back."

Hitting the 'end call' button, Vicki set her phone down once again and sighed. It would soon be sunset and they would be heading back home. Thoughts turned to last night and how she would approach the situation with Henry once he woke. She didn't like feeling she had given him the green light for anything, but at the same time was thrilled to find out what else could be install for them if she just played it cool, and went along with her pulsating heart rate that threatened to break out of her chest? Standing she stretched the kinks out of her back and decided that she could slip out un-noticed and grab Henry's belongings from where he had stashed them underneath the stairway and of course not forgetting stuffed 'Eddie', who had been on his lonesome for far too long, and would encourage more interest, if she left him where he was? Slipping the key into her back pocket and ensuring Henry was covered with the blanket so as he would not be disturbed, released the catch of the door and stealthily left the room. She was thankful that the guest house they had chosen to stay at was busy, therefore no sightings of Mrs. Clements as she slipped through the door to the basement and gathered all that Henry has stored against the wall, disguising it as old blankets and sheeting with what he had gathered around him, 'smart man, thinking on his feet, smart Vampire for thinking of his own natural survival' mused Vicki as she lifted his bag and the box containing her imaginary dog and slipped back up the stairs before being seen. Safely back in her room, she double checked her watch again, before gathering her notes and put them along with the case file back into her own bag and lay back onto the bed.

Staring up at the ceiling and giving Henry enough room, Vicki eventually closed her eyes.

* * *

A fog hung around her legs like a wet blanket of warmth as she tried to clear her eyes to focus on what was around her. The heat and fog mixed and made it impossible for her to reach out beyond her nose to feel to any kind of solid foundation on which to put her hands,

"Henry, Henry where are you?" the acrid smell from the mist clinging to everything made it impossible to breath as she choked back a sob, feeling completely helpless with poor vision and no clear way of knowing where she was going,

"Henry dammit where are you!" she pulled at the sleeve of her jumper and placed it over her mouth as she gingerly made her way down the longest corridor she had ever encountered, "where are you when I need you?"

A noise, growling, gurgling could be heard not too far in front of her. Like water boiling, the sound was like no other that she had heard before and then a cry, Henry, Henry's voice, he was in pain!

"Henry, HENRY can you hear me?" she rushed forward and stumbled beneath the fog, "Oh god please hear me!" that's when she felt something moving beneath her hand. Biting back the panic she touched gingerly around the movement and discovered it was an arm, "Please got let this be you!" she tugged then hard and the hand came out of the fog, red, red with blood a males hand with two rings on it, silver. One on the thumb and one on the small ring finger, "OH GOD HENRY!" pulling with more force the hand then the arm and then the shoulder came out of the mist and then his face. Contorted in pain and shallow in breathing, his hair was matted to his forehead and his eyes where blackened to onyx as his teeth barred, forcing the gurgling from his lungs as he grabbed with his other arm onto Vicki's shoulder,

"GET...out of here V-ic-ki...it's a...trap...G-GO-O!"

She cried with pain as his fingers pierced at her skin and shook her head, "Not without you, come on we can do this together!" Henry's face was pulled with sorrow as he cried again and tried to hold onto her with what little strength was left inside him, "T-OO late f-for me, please V-Vicki go, now...p-please..."

Vicki moved her hand down and around his waist to try and get him to life himself up, that's when she felt something warm on her fingers. Lifting them up her horror could not be contained as she cried out, blood, there was blood on her fingers, Henry's blood, "OH MY GOD, N-NOO!" there was an open wound the size of a fist along the stomach plain, blood soaked the shirt that Henry was wearing, his moans growing shallow with each breath he tried to take, "C-Come on Henry, don't die on me now, not now..." a sob tore from her chest as she tried to pull him along with her down the corridor, "you just need to feed, just need to feed!" she felt Henry's hand grab at her own, stilling her from going any further, "T-too late f-for me Vicki, P-Poole a-attacked me...g-go before he gets you t-too..."

Pain ate at her heart as she shook her head, the noise, the growling noise she had heard when she entered the corridor was getting closer, she could smell the acrid smell again and forced down the revulsion it created in her stomach, "I'm gonna get you out of here Henry, j-just hang on. Y-You're not gonna die, I won't let you!" The sound moved passed her and she yelped, covering Henry with her body while searching for her ASP stick, "where are you, you son of a BITCH!"

She heard what could only be described as a laugh, the movement stopped and a shadow appeared to her right, slithering through the dense fog as the sneering got close, green eyes mocked her, challenged her and for the first time in Vicki's life, she felt that this was the time she would lose. Raising her stick above her head, and with one hand around Henry's shoulders, holding him tight as she struck out, teethe gleamed in the mist as a triumphant growl echoed in her ears and pain brought with it darkness.

She jumped up screaming, lashing out as her bearings came back into focus, causing her to sway slightly as tight arms grabbed hold of her and she lashed out again,

"Hey, hey, steady Vicki it's me, shh now! The arms wrapped around her and she felt the unmistakable strength and body of Henry's, align against hers. Her sob sounded loud as she blindly reached out at him, clawing her fingers down his arms and pulling tight against his shoulder. The fear threatened to break from the darkness it had enveloped her in, "T-thank god...y-you're here...alive..."

Henry pulled back, suddenly worried as he searched Vicki's face for a better understanding. He had awoken moments before and on seeing Vicki lying sleeping peacefully, decided to take a shower and change into clean clothes for their journey back. It was then he heard her sobbing, stopped the shower to investigate and found her thrashing on the bed and crying out. She looked shaken, not the sort of condition he was used to seeing Vicki look like, and it concerned him as to just what had left her this way, "I assure you I am very much here and very much the same condition I was, when you left me this morning. What's happened Vicki?" She moved away slightly and with a shaky breath, pulled her hair that had loosened from its hold away from her face, and behind her ears before speaking, "H-he...he was, s-so real, he had g-got you Henry," she looked up at him then, the fear shadowed in her eyes wet from crying, "Edgar Poole was there and h-he had attacked you, you were dying Henry and, I-I couldn't do anything...he was about to get me too and I, woke up!" Vicki covered her face with her hands and shivered from the after effects of waking up, as Henry rubbed her back and tried to bring words of comfort to her, "As you know I am not a big follower of dreams, seeing as Vampire's can't. And the only time I have ever encountered dreaming, was when an Incan Mummy was involved." Vicki nodded as she removed her hands to look up at him, "He was real Henry. I could feel his anger - his power. You'd been attacked and tried telling me to leave you," Henry smiled slightly, as he lifted his eyes and looked towards the ceiling, "and I suppose being you, you chose to ignore my warnings and stayed with me anyway?"

Vicki felt the slightest sense of relief as tension left her shoulders, knowing that he was trying to make light of the situation, "Hey, I told you once before that I would never leave you, no matter how many times you tell me to go!" He sobered then, as he lifted her face with his finger tips to look at her, "Then it's just as well that you're stubbornness has paid off when I have needed it the most. Vicki it was just a dream, a nightmare if you will." He felt her slowly relax as she leaned towards his words, "I'm here now, with you in this room. With no liver eating demon looking for his next meal!"

She smiled and nodded, feeling better to have woken up and discovered he was still in his usual disposition of un-dead, "The sooner we catch him, the better I'll sleep at night knowing his terrorising has ended." With this Henry's smile deepened, rubbing his thumb along the delicate skin of her lower lip, "If you have trouble sleeping, I know of a cure that will ensure guaranteed rest from things that go bump in the night?"

Another one of Henry Fitzroy's sexual come-on's, Vicki would have rolled her eyes at the sheer corniness of the situation, had she not just had a fright, and he was not standing in front of her dressed only in a short pink fluffy bath towel. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she tried to focus all her attention to his face and not his fast drying pale skin that seemed to take up way too much space in her fantasy, "Ah, well let me think about it, but first," she stood and pulling at her t-shirt hastily moved past in until she was a safe enough distance to speak, "Shouldn't you be putting something on, you know clothing wise. Not unless you intend giving old Mrs. Clements a heart attack?" he smiled then, enjoying watching Vicki fluster at the close proximity. Not one to be put off by a woman finding his body attractive, he chose to stroll slowly towards her and watch, as her pupils dilated and her heartbeat increased. Singing her blood like music to his ears, "I think old Mrs. Clements could handle seeing me in less clothing than this don't you think? Perhaps it is not she who you are worried about seeing my state of undress, but more you finding it...distracting?"

She needed to breathe, yes she needed to breathe and she needed to get out of the room, preferably in that order. Her rational thought, the baseline that had always kept her steady, kept her calm around the lure that Henry seemed to send off in spades, had slowly diminished since their shared kiss and as much as she kept denying there was now a change, a shift in their relationship, now was not the time to test the waters considering they had a long journey ahead, "H-Henry, I don't think this is the best time to...too..." he shook his head then as he came to stop just in front of her, a hairs breath from her face, "To explore the possibilities of finding out just what will make you give in and allow that, which you have denied yourself for so long?" She shook her head, insulted by his remark, "I have not denied myself anything Henry, for your information I lack nothing in my life right now!" He cocked his head as he quirked an eyebrow at her statement, her disadvantage was that she was the one leaning against the front of the dresser, and he was the one in pursuit with all of his body leaning in close to hers. Talk about getting yourself into a tight spot, "You seem to forget Vicki, I sense your attraction, I feel everything, including the tiny nerve that is flickering across your collarbone..." he looked down and his eyes darkened, causing Vicki to feel trapped and entranced at the same time, "H-Henry?" She couldn't, could she? Allow him to feed from her? Wasn't it something that she had taken full advantage off, when Pandora's Box was unleashed into the world? Forcing her to return to the same day repeatedly until she had got it right?

Would she be so willing to let him feed of her again? Sure, the last time he had no recollection of the event that had passed between them, had no knowledge he had even done it, but she remembered. The feeling of his lips caressing the skin of her throat, the sharp teeth as they grazed the softness, and then the sharpness of pain. Given over to immense pleasure that had left her rocking on her feet, supported by his hands wrapped around her waist. Her head had spun and a feeling of complete entrapment had overcome her. It had lasted minutes maybe, but that briefest of encounters had left her feeling bereft of that touch and scared of just what he was, "W-we really should get going if we're to make it back in time!"

The spell was broken and she could see it in his eyes as they returned back to their usual colour and he withdrew away. It was too soon for her, too easy to give up herself completely to him. She needed space and she needed to adjust, this case was too important to get distracted now. Henry pulled away and with heavy resolve excused himself to get dressed; everything was there in his eyes for her to see. The resentment, the need, the desire and the distraction of not being allowed those pleasures.

Vicki had no right to make him feel this way; they had been so close to actually initiating any kind of connection that would bring them closer to completeness. He had never been as patient as he was around her, his resolved had been easily maintained while she chose to rebuke his advances. Now these last two days had shown a change in her attitude, in her body and its responses. That made him want to claw at his insides and scratch the surface that burned to the touch. The drive back would be excruciating, but he would give her the space that she needed, vowing that it wouldn't be too long before he made his intentions known again.

Returning down to the lobby for check out, Vicki was still reeling from the nightmare she woke up for and the sexual advances of the charmer standing beside her, wooing once again the lady of the establishment. Who was fluttering her eyes way too much for a woman at her time in life! Feeling incensed and just a little jealous, Vicki kicked with the heel of her boot into Henry's shin to win his attention as it was turned on her instead, "Mrs. Clements, it has been an absolute delight to have stayed here. I have a good mind to recommend your hospitality to a good few of my friends!" Rosa beamed at Vicki as she took the offered room key, "Oh now dearie that is so nice of you. We aim to please here and of course a perfect setting for romance it seems. Did you enjoy this afternoon catching up with each other?" Vicki let out a cough as Henry glanced across with curiosity in his eyes, "OH, YES we did, didn't we darling?" Henry caught the forced acting in her voice and simply smiled while he took her hand in his and placed the lightest of kisses on it, "We had a lovely time Rosa, and hope to be able to return once again if you would have us?" Rosa Clements blushed and swatted at his arm, "Of course Mr. Fitzroy it would be an honour if you and Martha here returned with us. Of course let me know in advance and I will make sure to put you in a room away from the main floor. You know so you can have the privacy to...ahem make as much noise as you want?"

Vicki choked and smiled faintly, feeling the colour rising to her cheeks. The need to get out into the early dusk and head for home, became strangely appealing, "We'll see about that, thank you once again and goodbye!"

She walked out ahead of Henry as he picked up the two bags, securing them in one hand as Vicki held the dog carrier, "Why have I the feeling I've just walked into the middle of a conversation that I never had?"

"Never mind Henry, it would take just too long to explain," She secured the dog carrier in the trunk, getting into the passenger side as Henry held the door open, "I'm all ears?"

Licking her lips, Vicki sighed and looked up at Henry, trying to make light of the situation and the strange conversation that she had held with the owner that very morning, "She was being nosey so, I put gave her a little...incentive just to keep her away from our room!" His smile widened as he leaned in against the door and waited for her explanation, "And?"

"And...I told her we...were making up for lost time. Look Henry," Vicki sighed as she rubbed her temples, regretting starting this, "she was trying to find out why you were sleeping all morning, what was I suppose to say? Oh sorry Mrs. Clements but my so called boyfriend is actually a blood sucking Vampire, who just so happens to sleep during the day?" Henry was now inside the car and laughing, which did nothing to help the anger and embarrassment Vicki felt, "OH so now you find it all funny?" with merriment he shook his head and leaned forward, his hand leaning behind her head on the headrest, "I am not laughing at you Vicki I promise you that. I am laughing at you having to make excuses for my exhaustion, after a long night of making love. Annoyed yes that unfortunately that wasn't the case. A step I intend to rectify as soon as it is manageable."

Now it was Vicki's turn to laugh as she shook her head, "Just keep your mind on the driving buster and get me home in one piece!"

Henry Fitzroy bowed his head as he started the engine and pulled out of the car park towards the freeway, "As my lady wishes."


	11. Chapter 11

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Eleven...

The hunger would not appease itself. Cold and damp his skin felt, as he touched the abrasions along the surface. He needed to feed and he needed to feed soon!

Summoning his strength, Edgar rose from his almost completed lair and surveyed his surroundings and the growling from the pit of his stomach informed him of his weakened state. Two days and yet no sight of the mysterious young man that had piqued his interest to suddenly leave him quenched without any satisfaction. Two days he had kept himself hidden from anymore interest in his comings and goings by the nosey law enforcers who would not leave him alone. His worry and anxiety increased with every new re-birthing, that he considered possibly locating elsewhere, somewhere quieter where no one wanted to know your business. Hadn't he suffered enough in the hands of these mortal beings to understand his nature and fulfilment in re-growth and regeneration? Was it such an impossible task to learn that a changeling such as himself needed to feed and the feed was necessary in his very survival, the last of his species known to exist?

His skin was stiff as he stretched the stench of the bacteria that threatened to cripple his immune system rife everywhere. Secretion wept from his pours as with slow deliberate movements he dressed, curling and uncurling his body that shook with hungry and cried with weakness. There was no time to hunt properly, he needed to feed two more times, then his agony will be over and he could rest properly in sleep. That was unless he found the strange life-force that tempted him with its delights and immortality, such strength, such power. He was an artist and he had a name. Henry Fitzroy, graphical art was his passion and he lived in a very high influential part of town – perfect. The location appeased him as it allowed the kind of lifestyle he could become accustomed to. That matched with this Fitzroy's power would ensure no more having to return to a cocooned state every fifty years until his strength could regenerate. No more having to live life as a lowly mortal amongst the filth of the city. Feasting on the desperate and sickened, that life had spewed out as excuses for this race of mankind.

Yes, Edgar would be able to walk with his head high and feed his cravings rich on expensive living and high society. Be able to live forever while others around him flaunted themselves for his appetite.

They returned shortly before midnight, as Henry dropped Vicki off so he could go an feed, she made her way back to her office and her haven of seclusion for a very long sleep to catch up with. The door to her office stood ajar, not a good thing to happen in this city, as she set down the carrier box and bag, and produced her ASP pushing the door slowly and entering,

"You took your time returning, I was beginning to suspect you'd moved with Fitzroy after all?" the deep recognisable voice of Mike boomed from her inner office as he sat in a chair, the bottle of Scotch that she kept her in cabinet drawer in front of him on the table and a measure of it in his hand, "Did anyone ever tell you that it's not hospitable to break and enter a home when the person is out?" Vicki's dry tone echoed his query as she slid her stick closed and tossed it on the table by the bottle, removing her jacket and bringing in her belongings from outside. Mike smiled up at her briefly as he doffed the glass of amber liquid in mock salute, "I got a little worried when you hadn't stopped by Mohadevan in a few days..."

Vicki fixed Mike a hostile look, as she lifted another glass from her open cabinet and fixed herself a measure of the Scotch, Mike had so comfortably helped himself to, "Well let's see? Hey Mike, haven't seen you in over a month, but thanks for the little tips you have been leaving me in my inbox. Then we can have the Crowley conversation, where she is keeping as close an eye on me as she is you, seeing as you are her latest kicking boy. Follow that with, I have been out of town following up on the leads you had so generously given me, and just where the hell do you get off asking me where I was when you could have done this several weeks ago?"

Mike set his glass down and fixed Vicki a serious stare with just a slight ounce of humour resident in his voice, "We needed some space Vic, things had gone a little pear shape for a while. I couldn't afford to lose my badge- it's my life, you above all people should understand that?" Vicki softened at his words, only slightly, "I do Mike, but why didn't you let me in, I could've help you?" he shook his head as he rose, lifting his coat from behind the chair. His tie was undone and he looked like hell, given he was now a pen pushing rookie under the command of the Hitler of Homicide, "You couldn't even help yourself Vicki, you still can't. Look at you, still chasing the bogey man, still hanging around Fitzroy!"

"Oh, so that's it isn't it?" she felt anger lick at the wounds that had tried to heal; "Once more it's because of Henry?"

"Not just Henry, it's everything! It's what you have got yourself into that I can't be around anymore!" Mike rubbed his eyes wearily, he didn't come here to start and argument, he was genuinely worried when Vicki hadn't returned for her usual visit with her friend of the Forensics lab, "I sent you the emails of this case to see if you could shed any light in it and you know what? No one can! No one understands why this is happening, no one except you and you're associations with Fitzroy the fanged one..."

"That's out of line Mike even for you. You can have a go at me for what happened to you but leave Henry out of it, he's done nothing wrong..."

"Nothing wrong," Mike laughed harshly, "Nothing wrong, how about Vicki ever since you met up with the dark avenger, nothing's gone right? Ever since he got you into this super-freaky-freak-show, you've lost touch with reality. Do you know why I haven't contacted you?"

She folded her arms across her chest, "I'm sure you're about to tell me?" Vicki couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice as she spoke and it registered with Mike as he looked at her with a sense of pity, "I can't do this anymore Vicki, it almost cost me my career. I can't let you do that to me anymore...I can't be a part of this, I won't see you destroy yourself chasing after monsters, and demons and blood sucking creatures of the night, because you feel you are their saviour, on some freaking crusade,"

"Mike it's not like that. And yes maybe it's not the most ideal job in the world but it picked me," Vicki tried to reason with the person she knew was inside, "so, it's not the most sane job in the world but I've done good, I've caught more bad guys, solved more cases just letting my instincts work instead of my failing sight!"

He shook his head and looked at Vicki with lost pity in his eyes, "When will it end Vic Mmm? When will you be satisfied that you've avenged every single reason why you're going blind? When will you wake up and see that you can have a career back at Division, back with me doing what we used to do best?" It was Vicki's turn to laugh bitterly, "What spend the rest of my life sitting behind a desk growing old and wilted like you look right now? Thanks but no thanks I would rather go blind!" The words where out before she could stop herself, "M-Mike, I'm..."

Lifting his coat, he slung it around his shoulders and gave her a look that would have chilled the room had it not been cold to start with, "Goodbye Vicki, I'll let myself out!"

Biting her lip, Vicki called out racked with guilt from being so insensitive, "MIKE, wait?" his frame disappeared from the door and he was gone, "great Vicki, once again your big mouth wins an outstanding performance for opening when it should be kept shut!" wearily she shrugged back the last of her drink and locked the front door. The last few days weighed heavy on her mind, top that with the far from cheery conversation she just had with Mike, thoughts of throwing herself of the building, where looking mighty tempting right now! Lifting the scotch she took it into the bedroom and slammed the door.

* * *

Henry had returned to his condo and after taking a shower to wash of the vestiges from travelling, he felt comfortable enough to resume working on his latest book. Felicia had been tempting as he caught her eye at 'The Underground' a fast hitting, pulse rating bar that was a hit with the smartly dressed and high maintenance of Toronto. He had fed of her before; she was a sweet girl with a passion for the rough. As much as it would have given him immense pleasure to have an evening of complete satisfaction, he needed the space to work and she would've just got in the way. Relishing the taste of her coppery blood on his tongue, and the promise that next time they would have an interlude that would last much longer, he had returned home, fed but far from satisfied. Vicki had him in a perplexed turmoil with no clear indication of when there would be a conclusion, to the strange mixed signals she had been giving him since the beginning and ending of their journey. As much as it had pleased him that his kiss had stolen all sense of judgement, as she fought the desire that had leapt between them, it had left him hallow and distracted, itching for more...much more. He had watched her sleep with an ache that would not go away, the blood singing to him just under the surface was agony to listen to and not taste. He had made a promise to watch over her and he had done just that, forsaken all that was animalistic within him and guarded her with his un-natural life. She was everything to him, the humanity he had denied himself for over several centuries. His commitment to her went way beyond the passion, sex and fulfilment that he could guarantee glorious pleasure onto her. His heart yearned to beat once more in rhythm with hers as she slept and woke.

To live in the darkness and welcome her energy when she made it less dark just simply by her presence was a yearning he reached for every time he arose. Her beauty was in seeing his flaws and his arrogance, to dare address them when he was the elder and did not take lightly to criticism; Victoria was a woman that had the heart of the strongest lioness and the protectiveness of Helen of Troy. He smiled at this, even awakening from her nightmare; she never looked more breathtaking than she did. Frightened yet fighting it for fear of giving into the darkness that wanted to embrace her light and steal her soul. A dull thud disturbed his musing path of thought as he looked up and sensed the air around him had change, charged with something new...something familiar. Dropping his pen onto the drawing board and pushing the hair from his eyes, he entered the middle of his home and listened. The thud came again, only this time more directed over his bedroom as he moved with agile speed and closed the door behind him. Sniffing the air again, the smell was stronger this time. More derived from the stale air in which the intruder breathed in as the noise kept its constant thumping right into his bathroom. Slipping a medieval double axe from the cabinet in his room, Henry moved stealthily towards the bathroom, keeping the noise that bit ahead of him, so as to register where it was coming from. With no need to air conditioning in his apartment, being sealed off had its advantages, after all what would he do with an air con unit when he didn't breathe? So the fly had decided to come into his web, fair enough it would make it that bit easier to destroy. Welding the axe deftly in his hand, he concluded that it was possible Edgar Poole had just found the end of the air duct sealed off, and was now doubling back. Could hear the thud become more slow and deliberate, as it moved in one direction and then the other, as Henry stood in the middle of the room, his eyes searching the ceiling.

With keen senses and sonar hearing, it wasn't long before he heard movement again only this time, it didn't come from the air duct that ran the length of the ceilings in the apartments, this time it came from the piping that rose from the floor of the bathroom towards the sink and shower area, "You're in the pipes, but not for long..." holding the axe with one hand, he moved to the side of the sink and felt along the copper piping with the other, as it rumbled with an unseen force. The pipe seemed to grow slightly in shape, moving fluidly as if made of water reaching the end, where it would expand into the u-bend and be able to grow. Holding onto the axe, Henry raised it above his head and stuck the pipe as it exploded and showered the room with water, drenching him as he pulled the blade from the copper. A roar came from within, Henry matched its roar with his growl, as teeth barred and eyes darkened, "Show yourself!"

The roar stopped, the rumbling subsided and something slithered along the pipe to the far end and became silent. Henry took no time in reaching the roof from his building, as he searched the maze of pipes that came out of each floor. His late night intruder had disappeared as he scanned the street below looking for him, crouching low so as not to be seen. The damage would cost him, as he resigned himself in having to ring down to the desk and place an urgent complaint about the leak in his bathroom. Leaving the roof he made his way back down, missing the heavy breathing to his left, as Edgar pulled himself away from the wall in a fit of great annoyance. He had wasted time on a demonic one. Plagued with living in darkness with a perpetual hunger that matched his own, he could not take the flesh of a Vampire! His liver would not sustain him long enough; he needed the richness of minerals - the wastage of a life lived solely from neglect. This life force was powerful, but did not have the necessary requirements he needed to survive. Angered from wasting time on such a poor excuse of an immortal one, Edgar slipped quietly into the night. He needed to feed, he needed to finish his nesting, and he needed energy that was depleting fast.

Nancy had taken the last of her stash and was feeling agitated. All her money was gone and she needed a fix, just one more. Trading in the last of the pieces she had taken from the Egyptian exhibit, the one that Nick had caught her at no more than a week ago, had left her with very little to show for it as her cocaine hungry body craved the white heaven it would give her. Wiping her face with a wet towel, she took in a deep breath and sniffed, catching a glance at her appearance in the mirror, "What a sorry excuse of an ass you've turned out to be?" Pulling the hair from her face, she lowered it down and washed with cold water. Feeling the temperature sting her sensitive skin, she raised her head and looked once more in the mirror at the darkened rings under her mascara-painted eyes, the shallow of her cheeks and the puffy red eyes, swollen from too many late nights and not enough rest. The money she would earn from this job would be enough to get her another quarter; Drake had promised her some good stuff had been shipped in, high quality but would cost a little extra. She couldn't risk taking anymore from the Museum, the Police were all over the place looking for the killer of Lassiter and Jones. It had been no loss to her why they both died, although she had never met Franklin Jones personally, he seemed like a nice enough guy.

Taking a few paper towels, she wiped her hands and taking the brush from her bag, and depositing the empty sachet that had held the last of her powder; she attempted to clean herself up before heading home. Back to doss street, in a doss area, where cockroaches where your only friends. That's when she saw Edgar just inside the door, causing her to jump, "Jesus Edgar ever heard of knocking?" without waiting for a response Nancy rattled on as she combed her long hair, "Where have you been all night anyway? Did it escape your notice this is the ladies room?"

She looked at the mirror when she didn't get a response, "Hey, Edgar I was talking to you, this isn't the men's room that's next door!" again no movement and no response, causing Nancy to feel slightly un-nerved as a shiver of worry coated her skin, "Okay so why I'm I getting the silent treatment, whose pissed you off this time?" his breathing changed, became shallow as she busied herself looking in her bag. Trying not to notice the weird noises he was making, as her hand fisted over her pepper spray, "Edgar, you're worrying me here, what the fuck is going on with you?"

Turning she held the spray behind her skirt and couldn't contain the shriek that rushed out from her throat. Eyes enlarged and green in colour, not the usual green but fogged over as if he was wearing a really bad pair of coloured contact lenses. His skin had sheen over it like sweat only wetter and smelt strange. It was his teeth however, that looked the weirdest of all. Long, large and protruding from his mouth, making his face and mouth contort in a strange way, forcing his breath to his out from between those large sharp white teeth. Nancy panicked as she tried to raise her arm and produce the spray, what had happened to the quiet, shy Edgar that had followed her around like a puppy dog? Was it the last batch of crack she had just taken? Because right now he looked damn right fucking frightening,

"E-Edgar, w-what's happened t-to y-you?"

Edgar closed his eyes and tried to fight the sensation that was invading his senses and making the saliva sitting on his tongue respond to the thirst and hunger, he liked Nancy a lot, he didn't want to do this to her, she could be the only connection he would ever have to understanding human emotional response to love and understanding his condition?

"I-I can't s-stop this..." his voice rasped from his mouth, the bile wetting his mouth and running down his chin, "S-Sorry N-Nancy...g-got to d-do this..."

Nancy's eyes grew wide as she finally raised a shaky hand and held the spray in front of her, "I d-don't know who you are b-but y-our not Edgar, y-you can't be? Please...don't hurt me?" the last part came out as a plea. Words failed to understand what she was seeing, as Edgar grabbed onto the sink and lowered his head, as if fighting whatever it was that was doing this to him. Before raising his face and looking directly at Nancy, cold unfeeling eyes bore into her as he snarled, "Too late!"

Nancy's scream filled the bathroom and resonated off the walls, as it ended in a guttural groan. Further down the hall, everyone went about their business. Closing up the Museum, cleaning tables of the Champagne bar, and getting ready to go home. No one heard her last cry, no one came rushing in to save her, and no one witnessed her body lying in a pool of its own blood. Torn and shredded skin surrounded a deep hole where a vital part of her body was. No one mourned her passing, except a cowering figure sitting on the roof. Crying his loss of a possible mate. Knowing that he had taken her life based on pure survival. Hers was not a passing he would be able to forget. For over a millennium, he soul had yearned for a connection to this world he was forced to live in, exiled from his kind, left to rot. His soul was tired; the body he lived in was worn and fatigued. He would remember her; he would remember her kind eyes and deep understanding that she had given him. Remember how she had made his transition into this generation more bearable than the last time. She was just like him, lost in a world that was draining the life out of them.

* * *

Coreen bounced through the door with a light-hearted approach to the day. She was feeling good, she was feeling positive, she was feeling...staring face to face with a stuffed dog that looked like a wolf only more cuddly, "OH MT GOD HE'S SO-OO CUTE!"

Vicki looked up from the file she was reading and fixed her assistant with a warm smile, "You can have him; his name is Eddie, house trained and very loyal!"

Coreen grinned and she lifted up the stuffed husky and held him tightly to her chest, "So this is Eddie huh? Bet Henry was pleased to see him?" closing the file, Vicki got up from her seat and went to the coffee pot, pouring another cup of the strong black liquid, "Actually it was Henry who got him for me. Although, I think he thought he was a far better solution for the loyal puppy-eyed companion, than ole Eddie here. Not quite sure which one was more endearing though?"

Smiling, Coreen cuddled him, already bonding with the stuffed animal that had been Vicki's travelling companion, "So, did you get home alright?" with that Vicki sighed and Coreen sensed things had not ended as well as she had hoped, "Mike was here!"

"Mike, here in the office, w-when? Vicki I swear I locked up after me before going home..." Vicki waved her hand as she sat down behind her desk, "Cool your jets Coreen, remember Mike still has keys to this place. You know, I must change the locks, seeing as we are on less speaking terms than we were a month ago!"

Her assistant sat down in front of Vicki, holding Eddie in her arms and looking even more disturbing that her usual garb of black with black, "Oh Vicki what happened, I mean of course...it's none of my business but if you want to talk about it?"

Vicki smiled and rolled her eyes and smiled. It had taken her a while to decipher Coreen speak, but she was happy to believe after almost a year, the code had finally been cracked, "OH nothing other than the passing of blame, using the words Henry and Fitzroy in the same sentence!" Coreen's face fell, having to live with broody Vicki was bad enough, but to have broody and moody back was not a good sign, "You know Mike, he'll come around again. I guess he's just jealous of Henry..." Vicki shook her head as she set her cup down, "Mike could not possibly be jealous of Henry? They're not even in the same league!" Sighing, she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I'm so sick of all this. I thought adults were supposed to leave the childish behaviour in the playground?"

Coreen chose to shake her head as she got up from the seat, "Obviously you've never heard that men never leave the child in them behind, they just get older and more harder to handle!"

"Amen to that!" Vicki replied dryly, and then thought of an idea, "Say, I'm heading out in an hour or so. Seems the address you dug out for Edgar Poole has come up trumps. Fancy doing some snooping around, Henry won't be up for a few hours?"

Coreen grinned widely as she nodded and skipped out to her desk, "I'll get my coat!" Vicki shook her head as she picked up the file she had been reading, "Oh and Eddie will not be coming with us!"

Mike was wading through the pile of reports sitting on his desk, his mood getting blacker by the second. He had a fowl night following yet another argument with Vicki, and who says 'absence makes the heart grow fonder?' to top that, Kate was no closer to solving these killings, with another just called in this morning bringing the total dead to four. He hated to admit it but maybe just maybe, Vicki's thoughts on this were proving more reliable that Kate's 'copycat' theory? Maybe old man McDermott was not as 'spooky' as some were said to believe? Maybe this was the work of something else, something supernatural?

Rolling his shoulders he looked up as Kate entered the office, straight from a meeting with Crowley and looked like she was about to bit the head of the next person that dared glance at her. Getting up, he went to the coffee station and poured a cup of the heavy brew, remembering to add single cream and sugar just how she liked it. Before returning with his offered gift and set it on her desk. She looked up and smiled despite her mood she was touched with what he had done, "Thanks Mike, I could really do with one of these right now!" Mike played the sympathy card as he leaned against the glass partition of beside her desk, "rough meeting huh?" Kate rolled her eyes as she took a deep drink from her cup and sat back, savouring the taste as she hugged the cup in her hands, "The worst, Crowley's making a loud noise, threatening to pull me off the case if I can't come up with a list of suspects for these killings!" he understood how frustration it was not to have any leads on murder investigations, never mind a list of suspects, "Look Kate," he glanced around, making sure no one was listening, "I know you haven't always listened to my theories on this one so hear me out will you?"

Kate laughed as she set her cup down, "Mike, I'd hardly call listening to a bunch of theories made up by a crack pot FBI agent, as anything substantial in this investigation," Mike shook his head, "but don't you find it odd that the one suspect he had in his custody when he was leading a similar investigation, winds up going missing? Not to mention the killings stopped?" Kate blew out an exasperated breath, "No I don't find it odd, because there was no evidence to support that the guy he had in custody, was the killer Mike! Besides, what you're saying, it would be impossible for the same person fifty years on, to be doing the killings. He'd be what eighty by now?"

"So then your copycat theory would suggest a family member continuing the killing spree?" Mike suggested as Kate shook her head this time, "Nope, no family members exist. There's an Edgar Poole, but we don't believe he is the same person, too young. Besides, he already checked out and had an alibi for each of the killings,"

Mike gravely smiled, as he lifted the file from his desk. The one he was currently writing up, the one he had just been handed from forensics, "You mean the alibi that went by the name of Nancy Travers, the very person that right now is lying on Mohadevan's autopsy table?" Kate's face paled as she took the file of Mike and read it, "When did this come in?"

"This morning, she was found in the ladies washroom about eight-thirty. Same M.O, same cause of death. It seems that Edgar's alibi was of no longer of any use to him!" Mike couldn't help the bitterness that entered his voice. Had he been still doing cases, he would've more than likely caught the son of a bitch by now. Hell he was doing most of the footwork himself on the sly! "Do you expect me to believe that this man that has already been interviewed by uniform is the same killer back in 1958? I'm not Vicki Mike!"

"No Kate, you're not!" Mike announced, the bitterness becoming even more present as he sighed, trying in vain to get through to his partner, "I'm not saying that this is easy to understand, but the facts speak for themselves. Now, whether he is a relation of the same guy or, some other explanation as to why he appears identical, I don't care!" glancing around him, Mike checked once more to make sure they were not being listened too, "All I'm saying is that he is linked to the deaths somehow and we need to find him now before he kills again. The killings stopped in '58 at five. Do you want to risk him taking another?"

Kate Lam weighed up the odds, she had just had a chewing from her Captain with the warning this killer had to be stopped. As much as she wanted to believe Mike, it all sounded too far-fetched to be real. On the other hand, he made a lot of sense and time was running out. No matter the circumstances, or how he got his information, Mike was right, "I'll get a warrant for Edgar Poole's arrest!"

Vicki and Coreen entered Harlem Street, finding the abandoned warehouse units dank, damp and unlived in, "Wow, talk about your fixer-upper?" squinting through the damp rain, using her torch as their only sourced of light, they climbed down a flight of stairs and onto the basement floor that ran the length of one of the units. With Coreen taking over holding the torch, Vicki produced her ASP and whispered for Coreen to keep close by. It was late into the afternoon, so chances of Edgar being here was close to none, probably at his work in the Museum giving them enough time to snoop around. Trash littered the rooms, damp wood and metal girders lay across the exposed flooring as Vicki and Coreen picked their way gingerly through the rumble down a dark passageway with door either side. The postal address gave an indication of a box number that was registered to this building that hadn't been lived in, for about ten years. Perfect cover for a man who kept his life in secrecy, much like he had in Detroit, "Keep your eyes peeled, any sound...shine that light in the direction," Vicki tried to keep the tenseness out of her voice, but she was just as worried and out of her depth as Coreen was. What if they were to be attacked like Dylan had the last time Edgar was spooked by visitors? Keeping those worries in the back of her mind and holding firmly onto her stick, they proceeded further into the warehouse. A rank smell invaded their nostrils, causing the gagging reflex in their throats as they got closer to the source of the smell. What appeared to be a mattress was propped up against one wall in a small room, choking and covering her mouth as best as she could, Vicki pulled the mattress back and behind it a gap in the wall led into a dark recess that was big enough to crawl into,

"Keep beside me at all times Coreen, that's an order!"

Coreen nodded her dark eyes loomed under false eyelashes as she held the torch steadily in front of her, allowing Vicki some source of light as she crawled on her hands and knees into the hole, "OH MY God, the smell is worse in here!" coughing and willing her stomach not to heave, Vicki moved slowly into the hole with Coreen following close behind. They came to what looked like a hole big enough for someone to curl up inside, dripping secretion fell from the hole, the source of the smell, "Christ...it smells like..." Vicki made a face and shuddered, while Coreen covered her face with the sleeve of her silken blouse, "Like someone's been sick in here?" she offered up an explanation, as Vicki nodded coughing again, "Like bile, it smells like bile. The Agent had mentioned the very same smell when he had stumbled across his hiding place. Do you know what this means Coreen, we're sitting in the middle of his nest..." she lifted the torch of Coreen and flashed the light around the hole no more than five foot across in diameter, "this is his layer, he's preparing to regenerate again!"

"That's not all," commented Coreen, as the beam of light shone on some objects sitting on a wooden plinth, "looks like he's been taking trophies for his collection!" they glittered in the light cast from the torch, an antique vase from one of the collections at the Museum, a figurine that Vicki noticed was missing on the itinerary from Nick Lassiter's Office. A crystal perfume bottle, possibly from his second victim who happened to be a girl from the Diner across from the Museum. A small clutch purse, its contents hanging from the chain strap that hung down over the plinth...

"I make it four victims..."Vicki groaned, he had killed again. "If that's four, then he only needs one more to complete the cycle!" panic registered tiny shivers that ran the length of her skin as she sat back on her heels and tried not to inhale, "We'd better get out of here, I need to let Mike know about this. Chances are he will kill quite soon, if we don't catch him now then it will be another fifty years before he gets another chance."

Coreen agreed, as she moved ahead of Vicki, holding the torch so that she could find her way out of the hole. With Vicki following behind, her ASP held firmly in her hand, her main worry was getting the hell out of the place in one piece. Something however snagged on the back of her coat holding her back, "Coreen wait a minute?" bending her head she was able to free herself from whatever it was that caught her, "Are you alright Vicki?" panic rose in Coreen's voice as she shone the torch back at her, "Yeah, I think my coat got caught on some wood, it's okay now,"

Nodding, Coreen was out of the hole and held her hand out for Vicki to grab hold off, as they made their way as quickly as possible out of the building and towards the waiting taxi-cab.

Breathing echoed in the small space they had just vacated. Deep slow released breathing, as green eyes blinked and opened slowly. Teeth barred, a thin line of anger formed either side of the mouth that housed large protruding teeth. A hand fell down from where it had lay hidden, a silver chain with a disc suspended from it fell from long fingers...another trinket had been obtained.


	12. Chapter 12

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Twelve...

Frustration gets to you at a time when you need to be focused, 'yeah you got that right!' as Mike tried for the fifth consecutive time to contact Vicki, only to be told her cell phone had been switched off, DAMMIT!

Kate had already left for the museum to make sure that Edgar's return would be noticed and arrest on sight was to be conducted in an orderly fashion. So slamming him up against the hood of the car and cuffing him, while reading the son of bitch's rights in a painful but satisfying manner was off Mike's list to do, gah probation was a bitch! Stuck back in the office was driving him slowly but surely around the bend. Not only could he not take part in a case that he, himself had thrown together quicker than Kate's 'hunches or suspicions' he was also not allowed out of the station while other Detectives were out doing the work he should right now be doing. Top that with not being able to get a hold of Vicki, in case she was in the middle of some serious trouble, the type only Vicki was famous for. He had the last known address of Poole's, a warehouse area that had been abandoned and deemed unsafe for years, right up there with his previous requirements for housing. Knowing Vicki like he did it, she no doubt would have figured this out by now and was possibly already over there, not something he wanted to dwell on, considering Poole's reaction to being snooped on. Mike it seems had only one solution, one in which with gritted his teeth he had no other choice but to do as he punched in the number and waited for it to be picked up. After the third ring it was answered;

"Fitzroy?"

Swallowing his pride or vomit - whichever came first, Mike spoke, "Fitzroy we need to talk!"

Henry leaned against his drawing table, a slow smile forming on his face as he held in check, the acid tone that was being radiated down the other phone line, "Detective Celluci now this is an honour. What has warranted you dialling my number and having to endure listening to my voice?"

He had no doubt in his mind it would have something to do with Vicki, seeing as he'd another hour of work to do before going to her place. His senses tingled with apprehension at the thought she might be in some kind of trouble; why else would Celluci be calling him?

"It's Vicki; I think she might be in some kind of trouble!"

His apprehension was right as he threw down his drawing pen and gave the call his full attention, "What kind of trouble Detective?" Mike looked around the half empty office as he kept his voice as low and as monotone as possible, "Oh you know, the kind that might get her killed. Has she called you at all today?"

Henry was fully aware of his need to let Mike Celluci understand that what transpired between Vicki and him was none of his business. Unfortunately given the nature of the case she was on did little to appease the growing worry gnawing at his gut, "no, she hasn't, I will be heading to her office shortly. I can relay your worries to her in person if you like?" he could not help the smug attitude that oozed from his voice at the thought that she and Mike were no longer in friendly speaking terms, the same could be said for Mike on the other end who, would have liked nothing better than to use physical force on Fitzroy's too good looking not to be gay face, "Listen Fitzroy, I'm not interested in what smug answer you want to come off with, my interest lies purely on Vicki's safety. Her cell phone's switched off and her answering machine keeps picking up at her place!"

Henry's brow creased as he rubbed his hand down his lower jaw, "very well, you now have my attention. Vicki did mention she could be out following a lead but as usual never told me what it was,"

Mike closed his eyes as he rubbed his hand down his own five o'clock shadow, "Yeah that sounds like same old Vicki; I've the last known location of Poole's whereabouts, a disused clump of warehouses in the Harlem district, chances are she's gone there to see if he is about – leading my suspicions that she may be in trouble..."

"she took Coreen with her", drawled Henry, "on my advice that when I'm not around, she should take someone with her rather than going in by herself," Mike snarled at the smug attitude that just kept on spouting out of the Vampire's mouth, "oh and I suddenly feel much better that Coreen is with her. I can't leave this place without rousing suspicion so I'm...asking you to go and look for her!"

Henry's ears pricked up, "asking Detective, that's mighty noble of you, and I don't suppose there's a 'please' to be added to this...asking?"

"Don't push it Fitzroy, if you value Vicki's life like I do!" Mike warned as he sat up and forced his statement making it very clear, "the time we're wasting here squabbling over petty manners; Vicki could already be in a lot of trouble!"

Henry had no reason to be convinced otherwise as he jotted down the address that Mike gave him, and he grabbed for his leather jacket, "I'll go down there now and see if I can pick up Vicki's scent," Mike nodded as he gave his pastrami and rye sandwich a bored look, "You d that, just make sure she's okay. I don't think I need to tell you just how dangerous Poole is?"

"Trust me Detective; Edgar Poole will not be around for much longer, he's close to completing his ritualistic cycle. His need to get back to his lair, will far out greater the need to attack and injure unjustly - and stop his hibernation."

Mike nodded as he ended the call, "let's hope your right Vampire!"

* * *

Vicki thumped her cell phone one last time as the exited the warehouse and climbed into the awaiting taxi cab, "Dammit my phones on the blink again, did you bring yours with you?"

Coreen shook her head as they sat in the back and welcomed the ride back to the office, "left it by my desk, why?"

Vicki shook her head as she closed her eyes and willed the stench on her clothing to evaporate, "nothing, I just was going to call Henry and let him know what we've found here, no doubt he'll be at the office right now wearing a hole in my floor!"

They both smiled at this, "Shouldn't you be telling Mike what you've uncovered, he should be kept in the loop Vicki?" Coreen asked as the cab took them through the centre of the city, "Mike and I are on this strange and rocky road Coreen. I still don't know where I am in all of this with him, with Henry back in the picture..." Vicki shrugged as she looked out at the passing buildings from the passenger window. Rain had began to fall as the tempting thought of a hot shower and a ritual burning of her clothes was next on her 'to do' list, "yes but he's the one that emailed you the information that could get him kicked off the force for good?" argued Coreen as she tried to reason with her hard headed boss, "you owe it to him to at least know what you have found and insure him you are safe!"

Vicki stared at her assistant as if she had just been told off by her mother, "Okay, okay keep your hair on. I'll call him once we reach the offices, and let him know I'm safely tucked up in bed. Is that alright with you?"

Coreen Fennell smiled and sat back further into the plastic upholstery of the ancient yellow cab, "Perfectly thank you!"

* * *

He arrived at the warehousing units not long after Mike's call that, for all intention purposes had riled him beyond comprehension and reasoning. He had made his point very clear to Detective Celluci that his relationship with Vicki was to him more than a working courtesy. So far, no hints had hit the mark and he was slowly losing patience having to play second fiddle to the blue-eyed, blonde haired boy wonder every time he showed up. Slamming the car door of his Jag more aggressively than intended, Henry hastily pulled his long leather coat around his body to still the pouring rain from soaking through his silk shirt, as he quickly entered the building that was marked with the number 74, the unit number that Edgar Poole rented. His eyes accustomed to moving around in dark places, his extra sensory vision an added bonus to his quickness and strength as a Vampire made situations like this like walking around in daylight.

He sensed and tasted Vicki's scent on his tongue and his nostrils flared at the heady mixture that was uniquely hers, with an added more muskier tone that could only be Coreen's, he followed the scent through several doors and along a deep corridor, that led to a flight of rocky looking steps bringing him further down into a basement area.

Something else repulsive entered his senses then. A profound stench that could only be described as vomit filled the cavernous space, with rotting wood and scattered rubbish that littered the place around him. Circling slowly, he took in his surroundings and spotted a small hole in the far wall, no bigger than a small human. The outer wall was covered in what appeared to be old newspaper, torn in strips and stuck to the surface. As he reached it, the smell drove him back, as he covered his mouth with his wrist and gagged. The vile smell of sick was stronger as he confirmed to himself, his suspicions that this was indeed Edgar Poole's lair. Lowering himself to his knees in a crawling position, Henry moved through the opening and into the cramped space as he had detected no presence. Which meant no Vicki or Coreen and most certainly no Poole. The space was small enough for someone to curl up inside, it most certainly was not big enough for very much else. A perfect place to restore one's energy for approximately fifty years. Undisturbed, disused buildings, vacant property's fitting a profile of a person who walked amongst the humans, hiding his identity, feeding to survive.

Henry almost felt sorry for him, his own life pretty much mapped out like that. Except for the urgency to kill and without any emotional repentance for what was done. He, on the other hand had grown up strong in faith and forgiving of sin. The monstrous side of his nature he forced to keep under control, reigned in and chained howling to his breast with each rising and intake of air that his lungs cried out for. Killing was something he now looked upon as being the last resort, but kill he would do with swift emotionless strike, should his hand ever be forced.

Edgar was different; he was a menace that had to be stopped at all costs. Prying on the souls to feed the beast that was as ancient as the unspoken name he came with. Henry spied his trinket table and leaned over to investigate. Small prizes for the conquest of losing their lives. Taken as they drew their last breath, pleading not to be killed. Each held a memory and made their death a more tempting reminder of how it felt to be powerful. The passion of the kill, excited Edgar more than the feeding of the organ he so skilfully took, Henry had to marvel at how prolonged an existence this one creature had been living, and hoped that when he faced him, it would be a fitting end to a tyranny that had held this City under siege for the very last time. Dwelling on that last thought, his eyes roaming around the small but neatly displayed trophies, it was then something shiny caught his eye. He moved a photo frame to one side and caught the glittering object with one hand; and all sense of perspective suddenly fell into place.

The long silver chain slid through his fingers, as the heavy disc that hung from it fell to the palm of his hand. The St. Christopher that always hung around her neck twinkled at him, bragged and called to him of its presence in amongst the possessions of those that had died in the most brutal of attacks. Henry felt his whole world spin around him, as he forced his own bile back down inside. Clutching the pendant tight in his fist, he cried out in pain – knowing for certain who the fifth and final victim would be,

"Oh no...no...NO, not Victoria..."


	13. Chapter 13

Redemption

_'Eternity is a long time to wait...'_

Chapter Thirteen...

Desperation tasted hallow on his tongue, as he punched in the numbers that would connect him to Mike Celluci's cell phone. As much as he disliked the idea of getting him involved in this, time was not something Henry had right now, as after the third ring it was picked up,

"Celluci!"

"Detective listen very carefully as I don't have the time, nor the patience to duel with you on this! Vicki's in far worse trouble than you expected and I need you to get over to her place with the entire badge waving, gun loading strength you can muster!"

"W-What! Fitzroy what the hell are you on about? What's happened to Vicki?"

Henry stopped at his car to unlock it, calculating how far he was from her apartment block, "He knows she has been here and has already marked her as his next victim. Now," Henry tried to quell the worry from his voice as he relayed to the Detective his urgency for him to go to Vicki's, in case he didn't make it, "I'm a good fifteen minutes from her place and unless you want me to break the sound barrier by driving in downtown traffic like a maniac, I suggest you get over there NOW!"

Sliding into the driver's seat he gunned the engine and pulled away from the kerb in a flurry of rain and speed. Whatever it took, Poole was not going to be lucky this time around.

Mike looked down at this cell phone as the call ended, and cursed expletives even his own Mamma would cover her ears for. Fitzroy didn't sound happy. Even if that didn't bother Mike, the fact that his unhappiness was due to what he had found at Poole's place, brought it home about Vicki's safety. His probation be dammed, he needed to get to her place before Poole proceeded with his unwanted visitation. Sure he knew she could handle herself. In any situation, Victoria Nelson was one stubborn lady that could take care of her own, but this wasn't the time to put that to the test.

Slipping his gun into its holster at his chest, making sure no one witnessed him leave the office, he quickly called Kate's cell giving her the co-ordinates to Vicki's apartment and made it clear the urgency was in getting there to either arrest Poole - or bring a body bag. Satisfied that would be done, he exited the Police parking lot, breaking several driving offences in the process.

Unaware of the growing concern for her safety, Vicki waved to Coreen as the taxi pulled away from the front of her apartment and offices and headed inside, unlocking the door to the quietness she welcomed with open arms. Throwing her jacket down on the well worn sofa, she didn't even bother checking her messages that were blinking for her attention but instead, pulled out the filing cabinet draw, locating the bottle of Scotch stashed and poured a lengthy measure. She would call Mike and then Henry, after she cleaned up and stopped smelling like she had been at an all night rave party, were everyone had taken turns in throwing up all over her,

"Urgh!" was her only comment as armed with her glass; she entered her own living quarters, deciding a bath would be just what she needed. With scented water bubbling around the claw footed tub from the taps, and the heat of the water steaming the room's atmosphere, creating a secluded perfect haven to lose herself in.

She didn't hear the noise in the hallway that divided the rooms, as the grill that covered the air conditioning that filtered around the apartment, became loose as one by one the screws dropped to the floor. One elongated arm stretched out, like a flower reaching in the first warm rays of the sun.

Vicki moved between bedroom and bathroom. Stripping off the clothing that stank and tossing it straight into the trash bin. She covered her body up with a large bath towel that she knotted at her breasts, before removing her makeup at the mirror about the sink. It was then she discovered the St. Christopher pendant that her mother had given her on her eighteenth birthday was missing, "Aw Dammit, where the hell can it be?" she would look for it in the morning as she wasn't totally sure that it had been on her neck the whole day, so chances are it could be anywhere in the apartment.

The water bubbled and gurgled reaching the level that was deemed suitable for her to lie in and soak away her aches and pains form crawling in the confined space that was Poole's home. Securing her hair on top of her head, she remembered almost at the last minute her shampoo as she padded down the hallway to her bedroom to retrieve it. Upon returning, it was then that her toes caught the silver screws that lay scattered on the wooden floor, as Vicki slowly bent down to pick them up, a frightening sense of dread washed over her as her breathing hitched in her chest. Rising to her feet, clutching the towel more securely around her body, and wishing to god she hadn't left her ASP in the living area when she came in, Vicki tried to assess just what kind of shit she was up to her neck in. Obviously she should have called either Mike or Henry and let them know she was here, instead of worrying about the smell that radiated from her clothing. She also knew that by now Edgar was getting desperate, he needed to take one last liver to help in the regeneration process, and by the looks of it she was next on the list,

"Dammit!"

She rose to her feet and shakily plotted her retreat into the bathroom, wherever he was, it wasn't standing in the middle of her hallway waiting for her, "I know who you are Edgar!" Vicki tried to stall his attack, and hoped to god she could come up with a plan real quick on how to stop him making her meal number five, "and I know what you are, it doesn't have to end this way?" once inside the bathroom she quickly looked around her and grabbed the nail scissors from the manicure basket about the sink, "You know you'll not get away with it this time, you've become sloppy, let too many trails..." holding the scissors behind her back, she could almost feel the shallow breathing that was present in her home, matching her own hammering heart in her chest, "I won't be taken without putting up a fight!" brave words considering he took this opportune moment to come crashing out from behind her shower curtain, nails, teeth and snarling towards her.

Vicki kicked out as he grabbed her right into his solar plexus as with force, he pushed her hard against the medicine cabinet. The sickening crunch of her skill making contact with the hard vinyl as she slid to the floor. With the room spinning, her urgency was to make sure he didn't over power her, moving back onto her feet proved difficult as she tasted blood in her mouth. The growling became a frenzied howl as he threw himself on top of her, trapping her legs from being able to kick out at him again. Her only thoughts was to get him off her by any means as his face, the pale pasty jaundice coloured face glared down at her, with green eyes that bore deep into her own. Her right hand came down and the sharp prongs of the scissors, dug deep into his arm.

The howl turned into a scream as he backhanded her across the cheek, causing her teeth to rattle as her head snapped back. Powerful arms held her down and for the very first time, Vicki feared that this fight would be her last, as she pushed against him with all the strength and willpower she had, trying to free her legs the desperation rushed through her veins as she battled for her life. His weight pinned her down, even though she was strong, the strength she had did not match his, as with a snarl he grabbed a well aimed punch in his direction and pinned both her hands above her head. It was then Vicki screamed out for the very first time as panic and adrenaline took over. Edgar anticipated her moves and decided he needed to end this quickly; time was running out and his urgency to get away was decidedly precious to him. His smile taunted her, as his large protruding teeth gleamed from behind pale lips, before lowering them towards her abdomen. She screamed and wriggled again to try and free herself; just as the door to her apartment crashed open on its hinges and with lightening speed and snarling of his own, Henry tore through it.

Edgar was knocked off Vicki and thrown against the bathroom wall, as painfully pinched fingers began crushing his throat. Causing him to gag as black eyes and razor sharp teeth came into focus. The growling was no longer his own. The Nightwalker or Vampire was now making the threatening noises, only this time it was his life that was hanging by the balance, "YOU WILL NOT HARM THIS WOMAN, YOUR TYRANNY IN THIS LIFETIME IS OVER!"

Edgar could feel the rage of this creature washing over him, the need to get away, the need to feed sent him into a frenzied state as he struggled against the strong hold that Henry had on him, "L-LET M-ME GO!" he growled and snapped, clawing at the Vampire's hand around his neck, trying to release his fingers as the pale blonde haired woman picked herself off the floor of the bathroom. His energy was depleting and time was running out, as the blackness of the Vampire's eyes mirrored the enjoyment he was having in his struggle. He was going to be killed, he was certain of it. Never had he heard of those that were caught by the ones who stalked the night time, survive it's meeting of fate. For many generations, only whispers stolen in the darkness, warning of their presence, telling of their existence amongst humans. Now he was faced being killed by one, protecting a worthless creature that had what he needed for survival. This was unheard of, unethical, and unthought-of.

He did the only thing he could do; he would not be taken by a Nightwalker, not this close to completion. Dropping his hands, Edgar aimed a punch to Henry's side and watched as the black eyes recoiled back in horror, and felt the warm liquid ooze over his fingers. Henry felt the pain and doubled back, as blood seeped through his shirt as he dropped to his knees with the open wound. Vicki screamed and rushed to his side. Edgar stood above them, his hand covered in blood and a serene smile plastered on his face,

"YOU bastard, what have you done?" Vicki growled as Henry fought to breathe through the pain. This was not happening; her head swam with the nightmare she had, had with the very same scenario replaying in her mind. She felt the pain in her arm and associated it with Henry's fingers digging into it, as he held with his other hand the wound that Edgar had given him. He on the other hand, reached down and grabbed a handful of Vicki's hair, yanking her up onto her feet. His teeth clenched in anger as with one bloody hand, he threw against the side of the bath tub. He wasn't leaving until he completed what he had come for.

Henry tried again to stop him, but the loss of blood was proving too difficult to concentrate on getting him away from Vicki, as she struggled against her assailant once more. Her mind exploded with anger, Henry was in pain and wounded. He needed her, and her need to live out-weighed anything else, as she kicked out with her foot, landing him on the floor taking the legs from under him. He growled, elbowing her in the face as she fell back, as Henry growled and struggled to get up. Mike heard the commotion upon entering the apartment and immediately drew his weapon and aimed it at the man who was almost on top of Vicki as she fought for her life. Blood was over the floor as Henry lay almost in a sitting position clutching at his stomach, "DON'T MOVE!"


	14. Chapter 14

Redemption

_Eternity is a long time to wait..._

Chapter Fourteen... (Revised)

The point of the pistol was aimed at Edgar, as he hauled Vicki up against him in blind panic. His heart drumming wildly in his chest; as he glanced towards the exit of the apartment, blocked by a tall figure in a rain coat, a law officer no doubt and one who had called this woman's name out, much like the fanged creature he had wounded just behind him.

He could not get caught again, not when so much was riding on him claiming his final kill. To allow this weary shell to hibernate itself once more, for half a century of sleeping and rejuvenating the hybrid he was forced to live in. The pathetic woman struggled against his hold as he locked her body in front of him, and watched as the blond Law Officer's face showed signs of panic, worrying for the woman's safety. It was this he had in his advantage, "YOU shoot, I'll take her with me!" His growl held real menace, and the stranger knew that as he held his hand up to readdress the situation, "Now, everyone just, just calm down here and we can all talk through this rationally,"

Edgar smiled; he had no intention of getting through anything rationally. He needed to feed, and should it be the aggravating woman struggling against his grip on her throat, or the man standing in front of him - he didn't really care, "Too late for rational talk my friend! You want her to live, you let me walk free!"

Vicki frantically pulled hard against the hand at her throat, choking as the grip tightened, "D-Don't listen to him Mike, h-he isn't going to let any of us walk out of here, just SHOOT HIM - arrghhhh..." he squeezed hard as Vicki cried out. His other hand gripped and held her arm half way up her back, almost to the point of snapping it right off, "SILENCE BITCH!"

Henry had his own worries to contend with. He was in a great deal of pain; the blood loss was draining him of any energy he had to enable him to move. Rolling onto his side, he groaned deep into the tiles as he coughed and begged for mercy. Mike was distracting Edgar, giving Henry enough cover as he sensed Vicki's distress at being held against her will, "V-Vi-ck-i...h-hang on..." with his other hand, he managed to remove the small-sword hidden in its sheath down the middle of his back. With great effort he managed to pull it out with punishing agony, the metal hilt felt solid and welcome in his grasp as he watched the exchange between Mike and Edgar heat up, his mind and eyes fixed solely on Vicki and his need to rescue her.

Meanwhile, Kate Lam had found the apartment and entered it. Listening carefully she was able to pick out Mike's voice from down a hallway and followed it. Her own weapon drawn, she moved towards a room that already seemed overcrowded...

"It doesn't have to end this way Poole," Mike tried reasoning with the deranged killer, trying to anticipate his next move and keep one step ahead of him, "if you just let Vicki go, it will make this a hell of a lot easier on you. What do you say; we talk about this man to man huh?"

Edgar laughed harshly as he held Vicki tight like a prized possession. His ticket to getting out alive in one piece, "You'll find that, that ideal scenario is very much over rated. My creation began long before the sands that bore your race, my name spoken only by those who exalted the highest..." Vicki rolled her eyes as she thrashed against the deluded, self righteous, big headed cretin that held her in a deadly grasp, "FOR GOD SAKE MIKE JUST SHOOT THE BASTARD!"

Her head was snapped back as she cried out in pain and gritted her teeth against her body's eager willingness to go unconscious. That was when she caught something move out of the corner of her eye. With failing sight such as she had, it was a movement she could just make out as resembling the shape of Henry? She tried to breathe evenly so as not to rouse suspicion that she had seen anything, but the movement caught her again as she felt rather than saw Henry rise unsteadily to his feet. No longer clutching his stomach, as both hands now held a short sword with a long blade and a covered hilt

'Where the hell had he been hiding that?'

Reduced to tears of happiness and fear for Henry, she tried to relax against the hold Edgar had on her. Negotiation would be tricky, given that he wanted something she had, and she wasn't willing to part with anything belonging to her, "It won't work Poole" Vicki began with an old Police tactic used when negotiating, "even if you do kill me, you won't make it out of my home in one piece, Mike will see to that personally. The game's up, just let me go and Detective Celluci will go easy on you!"

Edgar was too absorbed in his own power play, too immersed in being the stronger in the room. He shrugged off Vicki's threat, it meant nothing to him. One bullet would not slow down what he intended to do, intend to have. Even with a weapon drawn it was no match for him. Mike spied Henry behind both Poole and Vicki and needed to change tactics slightly. The black eyes and barred teeth no longer made him flinch at the sight of them. If it was he or the Vampire to end this and make Vicki safe, he didn't care what the cost and who would do it. Watching in disgust, as the grotesquely slimy tongue of Poole licked a trail up the side of Vicki's face, his threat and mannerism played on Mike's rapidly decreasing resolve as his finger tightened on the primed trigger of his Glock. The son of bitch sensed this and delighted in playing on it further, as he spoke menacingly, "I intend to leave here having divested one or both of you of your lives, it doesn't really matter which!" his smile was gruesome as he played with Vicki's hair, causing her to balk and turn her head to the side away from his administrations he associated with endearment, "By the time you fire that gun, both you and the one you call...Vicki?" his voice lowered to a caress as he spoke her name, "will be dead! No one can stop me!" His harsh laugh rang out, pleased with his little speech, as a deep penetrating voice rose and spoke behind him,

"That's where you're wrong!"

It took blinding seconds for Vicki to sink her teeth into the upper arm that was held against her chest, as Edgar turned his head towards the direction of the voice. In those same seconds, it allowed Vicki now freed from the grasp as it released her, to throw her weight at Mike, knocking the gun out of his hand with her own as she landed on top of him, sending them both to the floor. At that same moment with what little strength he had in him, Henry swung with all his might the sword, a sickening crutch echoed around the room as Edgar Poole's head hit the floor and rolled at Mike's sprawled feet. The body slumped and pooled to the floor, as metal clattered against ceramic tiles, followed by Henry.

Vicki quickly rolled off Mike and crawled to where Henry was now lying, gasping through pain as he clutched his stomach once more. His growling and whimpering the only sounds now, as she nursed his face touching and caressing with shaking fingers, "I-It's okay H-Henry, h-hang on in there...oh ch-christ...you've lost so much blood..."

Mike finally got to his feet as Kate rushed through the door, her dark eyes wide and questioning what she had just witnessed, "What – the – hell – is going on here Mike?"

Mike glanced at Vicki who wasn't paying attention to whom or what had come in. Her concerns now lay solely in her un-dead friends injuries, and that bit hard on his male pride. Wearing nothing but a towel around her body, she was covered in reddish bruises. Her hair tatted and straggled from struggling with Edgar, a long dark welt was deep and forming across her throat where he had held her. Her eyes damp and creased with worry as Henry gasped, clutching blindly at the hand on her face. They had just come through one of the most bizarre hostage situations and all Vicki cared about was the amount of lives Henry Fitzroy was left with. Left now up to him, Mike turned and faced Kate as he put his gun away,

"Ah, Kate...Poole had Vicki hostage, I was informed by her associate...ah Mr. Fitzroy and that's when I called you. This is the same guy that can be linked with the murders of..." Kate dismissed him as she shook her head, cutting him off, "Cut the bullshit Mike! I'm talking about one man with his head cut off, and another...thing, lying in a pool of blood!" She looked pissed and Mike knew that a pissed woman wasn't exactly and easy situation to find yourself in as she continued with her tirade, "I want answers fast, or I'm calling this in and arresting you from withholding information – so start talking?"

Torn with what to do, he glanced towards Vicki once more, hoping she could lend some king of insight into what he was supposed to do, "Help me out here Vic?"

Vicki was past caring who knew about her life anymore. Henry had lost too much blood to pass it off as a visible flesh wound. He was an inch from death – again and she needed to act fast,

"For god sake Mike, just tell her please! Henry's drifting in and out of consciousness and I need to _help_ him!" the word 'help' was emphasised. Meaning, she was going to do something really stupid, and he strongly disagreed on.

Pulling his hands through his blond hair sending it into spikes as he assessed the situation, "Okay...okay...Kate, we'd ah we'd better take this outside and I'll explain everything, I promise!" not waiting for an answer, he began moving towards the door when he noticed that she wasn't moving, but instead was still standing staring at Henry,

"What's wrong with speaking to me here? I'm sure that whatever you are about to say, Vicki's already up to her - neck in it?

He had very little patience with what was left in the night. So far everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong, and now he faced expulsion from the force at a very young age. What he needed right now was to get Kate away from Vicki, so she could do whatever she needed to do and get Henry the hell out of her apartment,

"You know what, I need some air and Vicki needs to tend to her...friend there, so if we could just go and..."

"Call an ambulance for him; he needs to be seen by a Doctor!" Kate moved forward to take a look at Henry a little more closely. As she leaned down and reached for his face, a hand snapped out - pushing hers away, "NO!"

A dark warning laced his voice, as his black eyes glared up at her. Kate jumped back as if she has just been struck, and turned horrified questioning eyes at both, Vicki and Mike, "WHAT ON GODS NAME IS GOING ON HERE?"

For Vicki, time was running out fast and the last thing she wanted right now was to do Demon 101 with Detective Lam. Henry's life hung in the balance without little-miss-popular going all Nancy Drew on her, "LISTEN UP Kate, big newsflash for you! What you've seen tonight is my life! Monsters like Edgar Poole - exist all around you. I fight them every day and every day they keep coming back for more! Right now, I have an honest to god Vampire dying here unless I can be left alone to save his life – you too Mike! She swallowed hard, looking down at his face contorted in pain, "Right now he's losing more blood than he can drink in one night. Feel free to stick around Kate - you'll enjoy the show, but be prepared because once he's finished with me, he'll be looking for another snack to tie him over!"

Mike took that cue to remove Kate physically, as she began to protest again, "Come on, you look like you could do with a shot of Whiskey!"

Finally with both of them out of the room, Vicki breathed out slowly as she cradled Henry's head in her arms as she tried to feel for some kind of pulse. As stupid as it sounded, she needed some reassurance he wasn't going to expire on her anytime soon, "Come on H-Henry, I need to get you to start healing. Y-you need to feed..."

He began to slowly shake his head, energy he'd once had in him was long spent killing Edgar. All he really wanted to do now was sleep...forever, "N-no...leave...me..." his voice, barely a whisper registered his refusal to what she was suggesting.

Unfortunately, Vicki was not in the mood for an argumentative blood sucking associate, who had just saved her ass from organ removal and certain death, "You know I can't do that!" Vicki turned his face gently, so that she could see his eyes. The pupils had returned back to their normal shade of pale blue, making him look more fragile and very much the age he was when he had died in the fifteenth century, "I won't allow you to die, not now...not when I need you now more than ever...Henry _please_..."

His eyes stared up at Vicki's anxious face. Traced her strong but beautiful features as her own eyes mirrored pain and suffering of what she had gone through. Her determination of survival had been the driving force that had allowed him to finish what he had came here to do. To end the reign of fear and tyranny Poole had bestowed on her City. Yes hers, for without Vicki in it, his reason for being here was wasted. He had come to that conclusion when given the option to move to Vancouver. He had faced moving to another City, another life. To begin marking his territory all over again, when all he wanted to do was remain here with her. The truth was that in Vancouver it would be lonely without having the life force that he clung to, needed to live for. She had come into his life when he thought his life was complete, when he had assumed he was in control. Now that control was finally being taken away from him.

He felt the time had come; he had lived many centuries and had witnessed a great many things. He was tired of being lonely, of trying to find that one person to connect to. Vicki deserved so much more. She deserved the likes of Celluci, with the perfect hair and the perfect job and the perfect life that would make her happy. She deserved to be happy with one life time, to have children and live in peace knowing that when it came to an end, that would be it. He had no right to make her chose between the life she could have, and the life he had dragged her into. To help him destroy a much bigger problem that continuously threatened his immortal life and now her own. Lifting his hand, he gently touched her face and slowly shook his head, no more, he would not let her do it anymore, "I-I c-can't V-Vicki, just let...me...go..."

Tears that had threatened all night began rolling down her face, as she choked back a sob and shook him hard against her. No way in hell was she letting him martyr himself, when she could save him! She could not come this far to end up losing him through stubbornness, "You listen to me Henry Fitzroy - lord high almighty! You're not gonna die, do you hear me? You're a Prince, so start bloody acting like one!" Vicki could almost make out a resemblance of a smile on his pale lips, "You're gonna take my blood and you're gonna start healing!"

His eyes fluttered open again and with great effort he focused on her face once more. She was willing to do something for him that had proven an uncomfortable barrier between them. He would never have taken anything she wasn't ready to give herself. When he took her blood the first time, she had willingly given him the vein of her wrist...was she now willing to give him so much more? He didn't get to voice his question as she slipped her glasses down off her nose, setting them on the ridge of the bath. Holding his head in the crook of her arm, she leaned down and offered her neck to his mouth.

Roaring echoed in his ears as the rush of saliva entered his mouth and liquid ran through his veins to the point of his teeth as they protruded and sunk onto his lip. Her heart drummed fiercely in her chest, sending him the delicious signal that she was ready, and the thought of ecstasy was mere moments away from his tongue. A moan escaped his mouth, a deep roar rocked out of his chest as with one hand on her shoulder, he sunk his teeth into her neck – the vein sang to him as the flesh tore with his vicious stroke.

Vicki felt everything at once, the fear and excitement of seeing his face change, his eyes blacken and his teeth gleam from the lips that thinned in anticipation. The deep groan that echoed in her ears as the blood rushed through, deafening her with the drumming of her heart as it almost broke out of her chest wall. The pain was swift and blinding, she heard her voice cry out as razors met flesh and flesh gave way. Next came an indescribable feeling, her body began tingling from her feet curled up beneath her, right up to the roots of her head. A rush so delicious and painful, met each other in a dance as she felt her blood pumping through her veins to the place where he was greedily feeding from. Her belly pooled with liquid and fire that seemed to consume her, as her eyes rolled in her head as the climatic rush hit her and it fell back. The sharpness left her throat as his tongue licked the wound, before the cool air hit the skin and she shivered.

Hands lay her back against the cool tiled floor, as eyes bore down upon her. She felt weightless, giddy, forgetful and sleepy. His voice sounded distant as she tried to decipher them through a fog induced mind, "You will feel like this for a while, just take it easy and don't try to move...thank you...Victoria."

She smiled back at Henry, too weak to try and fight as darkness consumed her.

Mike faced a dilemma and hadn't a clue what to do about it as he poured two large tumblers of Vicki's hidden stash in her filing cabinet, handing one to Kate before taking a large swig out of his own. They had moved to the inner office, as far away from her living quarters as possible. He didn't want to think of what was going on, no more than he wanted to think of a headless Edgar Poole in there also. Kate was watching him with hooded eyes and he knew she wanted the truth, all of it or he might as well hand in his badge and the remainder of his pride along with it,

"Okay, Kate you want to know what's going on, then be prepared to believe absolutely nothing of what I'm about to say. Even I find it hard to believe sometimes..."

"He's a Vampire?" the humour could not be hidden from her voice, "I mean a real blood sucking hammer horror mystery Vampire?"

Mike found it ironic that Kate would just jump straight at the one thing he didn't really want to talk about as he glanced towards the closed bathroom door, "Yes...Henry Fitzroy is a Vampire, less hammer horror and more incredibly annoying. Look, I know it's hard to conceive all of this right now," Kate shook her head as she took a long sip from her glass, "Actually Mike, a lot makes sense right now. All this skulking around and telling me that I had to trust you on your instincts, having Vicki snoop around constantly, helping you out on cases, asking your advice on a lot of her own...strange cases. This guy she always hung around with, he seemed...different,"

"Different is a good word, I wanted to be straight with you Kate, on many occasions I just wanted to tell you, but I'd made a promise to Vicki not to breathe a word..."

"Does he hurt people, you know kill them?" She stared at him, waiting for an answer, an answer Mike didn't really want to give. To have to stand and vindicate something he looked upon as a bane in society, inching closer to driving a stake into his heart himself, "No, I would have to say he doesn't kill. He does, you know...feed, but from what Vicki says, he doesn't drain all the blood." Subconsciously he rubbed his own neck, recalling the feel of those sharp teeth as they punctured his own throat, "Kate, what are you going to do about all of this?"

The question hung in the air between them, as she looked down at her glass, swirling the liquid around it, "You lied to me Mike, you didn't trust me enough to tell the truth! A man is dead, how the hell am I meant to explain that to Crowley, god she'll be pissed..."

"I'll take full responsibility for this mess Kate, no need getting you involved in this..."Mike tried to reason with her. So what if his career was over? Maybe Vicki could do with an extra pair of hands in the P.I business...

"But I am involved Mike, how can I just walk away knowing what I know tonight?" her laugh was harsh as he heels clipped along the wooden floor, "Monsters and demons, creatures that go bump in the night...Jesus people will think I'm crazy, and Vicki..." she stopped and glanced towards the closed door, "she's in there now with him, I have to arrest him, he killed a man..."

"A man that had previously killed four people and was about to kill Vicki," he set his empty glass down, seeing the badge wearing detective coolly accept what she was about to do, "surely you can understand that Kate?"

Shaking her head, and releasing her gun from the holster in her back, at the same time reaching for her cuffs, "No, all I understand is one man is dead and the other one is still alive and will answer questions back at the station. YOU have made this mess, now I'm the one cleaning it up!"

The door opened as Henry emerged slowly, in his arms Vicki lay limp from either being dead or unconscious. Mike moved forward as Henry gently laid her on the sofa, "She needs to sleep now!" the deep voice penetrating the silence as he stood and assessed the situation. Mike worried frown to the dark haired, Asian's inquisitive eyes as she held her gun in front of her, "Y-you're under arrest for the death of Edgar Poole. You h-have...the right to remain silent..." she swallowed hard as Henry began walking slowly towards her, his eyes dark and hollow, "A-Anything you say, c-can be used in a c-court of law..." he kept walking towards her, forcing Kate to step backwards, her gun still trained on him, as Mike looked on with dread, "Henry!" he didn't want him doing anything that would endanger Kate's life as she kept trying to read the Vampire his rights, "Y-You have the right t-to an Attorney..." his hand lifted up as he still it in front of her face, "ENOUGH!"

She stopped in her tracks as her gun lowered from his chest, as he continued, "You didn't see anything here tonight...everything is fine. You will go home and sleep, and when you awake - you will inform your Boss that Mike Celluci found Edgar Poole's body outside the Museum already dead...You should go home now!"

Kate blinked and shook her head. All coherent thought had left it as she found herself in the middle of a strange apartment, with Mike and a man she vaguely remembered seeing somewhere before, "I – erm, I think I should go home now..." replacing her gun in its holster and her cuffs back in her inside pocket, "See you...tomorrow Mike...bye,"

She walked through the front door, closing it behind her and headed in the direction of the stairs. Mike slumped back against Vicki's desk and breathed a sigh of relief. For once he thanked Henry's persuasive will of brainwashing people...this time, "Let's hope it works?" Henry smiled, traces of self righteous ego was beginning to come back, "I've never known it not to!"

Shaking his head, he looked worrying over at Vicki, "Will she be okay?" Henry did the same thing, his eyes clouded with mixed emotions, "She will be weak for a while, right now she needs to sleep. Tomorrow she should take it easy, too much over exertion will make her dizzy until her body can replace the blood loss."

Mike nodded, deciding on not pushing it any further as he didn't want to face what she had done, "What about Poole, what are we to do with him?" Henry managed to gently pull out his pocket watch as he glanced at the time, "That is your job now detective. I need to get home and try and recover from my injuries. Your partner will remember nothing of what happened tonight, only what I have told her about the whereabouts of his body and who found it. Trust me, she will remember little else!"

Satisfied he had mentioned all he needed too, Henry moved towards where he had lain Vicki and pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa, draping it around her slim body and tucking it in, "I will be back tomorrow night Vicki, we'll talk then!" Backing away, he nodded at Mike once more and began to leave, "Fitzroy?" stopping, Henry glanced towards the detective, one quizzical eyebrow cocked in self defiance, "Detective?"

Taking a deep breath, Mike willed himself to sound grateful as he spoke, "Thank you...for saving her life!"

Henry bowed his head low in acceptance, as he left Vicki's apartment, heading for his own empty home.


	15. Chapter 15

**Redemption**

_**Eternity is a long time to wait...**_**Chapter Fifteen and Epilogue (NEW)**

Vicki awoke with a start in the silence of her empty apartment. Lifted her head – bad mistake, as it began spinning and laid it back against the soft pillow below, recalling the events from the night before in glorious Technicolor. She had attempted to do the one thing she had feared the most above everything she had so far seen and done. To give into the darkness, the temptation of having Henry feed from her the way he had done thousands of times over with every lover he took. It was a necessity that he drank from her for survival, 

much like the first time when she offered her blood that allowed him to heal, only this time it was more...primal?

Rubbing her hands down her face, she yawned and gingerly touched the area that was still slightly tender from his teeth. It didn't hurt but the slight rise in the wound made her curious, as with gentle manoeuvring, she slipped her feet onto the floor and sat up. As she rose and padded towards the bathroom, a flashback played on her mind recalling the headless Edgar Poole who was possibly still lying there. To her welcome relief the body was gone and the bathroom floor cleaned up from the amount of blood Henry had lost.

Switching on the light, she went to the bathroom mirror to inspect the damage. The slim column of her throat didn't look any different except on the left hand side, two large and small puncture marks could be seen. Bruising was slight, and the marks seemed as if they had already began to fade. Closing her eyes, the room swayed slightly forcing her to reach for the wash basin to steady her; she remembered the sensation of having his lips against her skin, the sensual overload and desired effect it had over her. The sharpness of the pain as he penetrated her skin, the rush of her blood as it was greedily drank, gave way to another sensation. A sensation that exploded through her brain and sang across her veins, a pool of hot liquid melted her until she was on fire from it.

Hugging her arms across her chest, she was painfully aware that she was still dressed only in the bath towel, thankfully knotted around her chest. Laughing to herself with relief more than anything, she was tempted to call Mike and wake him, to find out what happened after she passed out in a post coital high. It was five-thirty in the morning, awake and never felt more alive.

Nailing one eternal son of a bitches ass to the wall, well head on the floor but why play with words? Had a lasting effect on her, not to mention being chowed down on by an almost five hundred year old Vampire. Her need to see if he was okay was overpowering, that Vicki found herself contemplating getting dressed and going over just to make sure he was healing right? Shaking her head, she took her 

hairbrush and began running strokes through the tangled mess on her head as she entered her bedroom. On her bed was a note, written in a masculine scrawl that was definitely not Mikes, where the words

Take some iron supplements and drink plenty of water. I will be by tomorrow night to make sure you are okay! Henry

Vicki smiled as she set the note down beside a bottle of iron tablets he must have found at the back of her medicine cabinet, struggling with the caring he had taken on making sure she was okay, like a mother to a child who had been poorly. She didn't want his caring she wanted...what did she want? Lifting the bottle and retrieving two pills as requested, downing them with a glass of water that she drank from thirstily, Vicki was torn between trying to go back to sleep, chase the dust bunnies around her apartment, go for a long jog...or hail a cab to Henry's place and let herself in with the key he had given her only to be used on emergencies. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Finally she opted for throwing on her sweats and catching the morning air as her feet pounded the ground towards her favourite destination – Brendan's burial ground in Queen's Park-North. This was a place she found herself going to when the pressure of holding down a P.I. service and fighting things that went bump in the night. Not to mention the constant testosterone battle between Henry and Mike, which had always been flavour of the day whenever both where around. Which made her worry more than usual about what went on after the soothing voice of Henry sent her into a fitful sleep? She needed answers, she needed a better explanation...she needed to know where on earth was the body of Edgar Poole and what on earth excuse was made to Kate about what she saw?

Before she knew it, she had past Queen's Park and was heading in the direction of the Precinct, walking through the front door into the middle offices. Kate saw her first and immediately rose from her seat to address her in a hushed tone, "What are you doing here Vicki, you 

know Crowley will have you kicked out for going so much as an inch near Mike?"

Vicki blinked at her comment, she sounded remarkably normal for having witnessed a blood sucking Vampire and a headless liver Demon in the space of one night? "Good...morning to you...too Kate, say you feeling alright after last night? I mean, kinda hard to take in everything you saw...I was just checking that Mike squared you in on all that..." Vicki looked around her, making sure no one else was listening in to their conversation, "supernatural stuff?"

Kate looked at Vicki as if she had just grown a second head, "What supernatural stuff? Mike hasn't said a thing to me – he's not due into later." She took Vicki by the top of her arm to a more secluded space near the stairs, "For your information he's just left, after filing a report on the Poole case. Seems he was up to his neck in gambling debts and owed some pretty high powered people a lot of doe. A report came in a few hours ago, that a body had been found outside the museum, missing its head. The head was found in a dumpster right beside the back door; Mohadevan has just I.D the body as that of Edgar Poole, case closed." Vicki struggled to take in everything Kate was saying as she went on, as if she was reading from prompt cards, "We can't tie him with the other murders, so we're still looking for the suspect behind them. Oh, and you know who called in the report? Mike," Kate smiled then, a sickly version of hero worshipping or ass kissing Vicki had ever seen, "Go figure, he was driving past the Royal when he saw something suspicious and went to investigate. Lucky he did, the final night of the Dark Horizons was just about to be let out...it could have been a headache having to cordon the place off for eye witness statements!"

"Go figure," Vicki couldn't help the dryness of her tone. Something was definitely up, "Say Kate what, where were you when all this happened?" Kate's smile faded slightly as her brain began searching for the information Vicki was asking for. Fortunately Vicki didn't need to know the whereabouts of Detective Lam, her keen sense of studying felons trying to cover their tracks, or maybe it was the 

experience of knowing how Henry Fitzroy could manipulate people's minds, led her to believe Kate's had been tampered with as well, "Ah, I was at the museum...but didn't see anything and was about to head to..." her brow crease as she tried to remember, "anyway, I got the call about a suspected homicide and...Immediately knew...it was Mike who found it. You know, isn't that weird?"

Vicki nodded grimly, "yeah you could call it that. Listen when you speak to Mike, let him know I called to say high and that I'll be waiting for some answers, could you do that?"

Kate nodded, and then her usual brisk manner returned as she replied, "Although I'm not a messaging service! You should keep away from him Vicki, until his probation is up?"

Nodding in response that she understood Kate's warning about being anywhere near Mike Celluci loud and clear, Vicki pulled her gloves back on to her hands, preparing to step outside again and jog home, "thanks and no, I don't think of you as a messaging service Kate..."

Turning she exited the building as she continued under her breath, "just very weak minded!"

Returning home, she showered and changed with even more determination to find out just exactly what went on, after she went unconscious. Obviously, Henry had used his mojo on Kate to make her forget everything that happened, which explained the body missing from her apartment. Possibly Henry's idea, as Mike would have panicked having to report a murder from her home and then explain why she was incapable of giving a statement as to how it happened. Never mind having to tape up and make it a crime scene. Boy she wanted so much to see Mike's face when he was given the options, seeing as he was such a stickler to the rules?

She was grateful to Mike for doing it, and angry at Henry for making Kate forget. Although in hindsight, it was possibly for the better seeing as too many knowing about what she did, and who she did it 

with would be a worst case scenario for Mike to have to explain. A breezy call from outside and the unmistakable waft of fresh coffee, invaded the quietness, as Coreen bounced through the door, "Good Morning Vicki, got some coffee!"

Setting the cups down on her desk in the polystyrene tray, along with a bag filled with cream filled donuts, could Vicki's morning get any better?" Actually no, because unknown to her she had a look about her that could be spotted by someone who lived in the dark underbelly of all things occult, "What happened to you?"

Blinking, Vicki reached for her heady steamy brew of richness, and tried to look as nonchalant as possible, "I don't know what you mean?" Coreen unfortunately didn't buy any of it, as Vicki looked everywhere but her assistants face, "Come on Vicki, I've been working for you what a year now? I know if something is wrong or has happened?" Vicki clucked in the back of her throat, as she took off the plastic lid and drank too quickly from the cup, burning her lip, "Did anyone ever tell you, you should work as one of those wackos that call themselves psychics? You need to polish up on your predicting though!"

Coreen stood in a new outfit of purple plastic and lace. Hands covered in widow's lace gloves, hair a good fourteen inches higher than the top of her head. Maybe that's how her brain escaped? Vicki mused as she watched the blackened eyes rove over her appearance of utilitarian tee and jeans, "You look different, as if something was...you haven't fought with Mike again? Henry, you fought with Henry?" Vicki laughed and shook her head as she leaned forward and snatched a donut from the bag, "Nope, nope and nope...I guess being a psychic's not for you then?"

Biting into the cream filled pastry almost sent her over board with delight, as she moaned deeply licking the rich cream from her lip, "OMG these are incredible, better than yesterdays..." Coreen simply stood and stared at her, mouth open with no sound. Checking her tee-shirt to make sure nothing had spilled down in front of her, and 

then back up at Coreen's wide eyes, Vicki began feeling uncomfortable, "W-what, what is it?"

One black nailed, half gloved finger pointed at her, words came out finally in a rush, "You have...you have a...bite mark...on your neck?"

DAMN, trust Coreen to spot something that Vicki had completely forgotten about, but then again it's not every day you receive a bite mark this noticeable and forget about it in a hurry. Truth was Vicki didn't think anyone would notice. Her hair was hanging down from drying it after her shower; all she did was reach forward and...The desk light was on and she must have moved in front of it when snagging a donut, "Ooh shoot!"

Setting her cup down, she moved her feet off the desk and onto the floor, trying to gain some kind of composure before answering the already visibly distressed Coreen, "Look, it's not what you think, well...actually it is but I think first you need to just...calm down and don't go all Casper on me, referring to how pale Coreen already looked. Her assistant shook her head as she took the seat opposite the desk, clutching her Zombie Doll purse in her hands. Satisfied that she had got Coreen's undivided attention, Vicki began going over what had happened the night before, including her unexpected visitor with Henry and Mike coming to the rescue. Coreen's eyes widened as she told her about Henry's injuries and how it was turning out to be a fight for life until Mike turned up all badge wearing and official, ending with Henry pulling a surprise sword out and beheading Poole before collapsing from the pain. Explaining how she had a bite mark on her neck was surprisingly simple,

"I didn't have any other choice; I wasn't going to let him die Coreen. Whatever it took, I was going to take it."

She slowly nodded as Vicki shrugged her shoulders, draining what was left of her coffee, "So he, he...are you alright? I mean he doesn't take that much, just leaves you enough to..." Vicki smiled faintly and nodded, "I'm fine stop fussing, and yes he didn't take too much but I 

have to tell you Coreen...something about that...it felt...different, you know?"

Coreen's face was a mixture of surprised shock and jealousy for what had happened to Vicki, that she struggled to get the words out, "Y-you...mean not like when he fed of your arm you mean?" again Vicki nodded, "Wow, this is sooo cool Vicki, Henry fed off you, I mean the whole drinking blood and getting a sexual rush from it kind of thing..."

Vicki put up both her hands, "Whoa, whoa too much information not gonna be divulged right there! Alls i know is that i woke up in my apartment – alone, Mike, Henry and Kate all gone and one decapitated body and head now property of Mohadevan. I'm going by later to see what she came make of his extraordinary skeletal make up, should raise some eyebrows."

It didn't sound so bad once she had began speaking about it, and of course it helped that she had an assistant who was heavily into the supernatural and embraced Vicki's experience with open arms, "WOW, Vicki I'm so jealous of you...Henry drinking your blood, better than any artificial stimulant!" she could feel the colour of her cheeks heat up, as the dropped her empty cup into the trash bin at her desk, "Y-Yes, quite," the telephone on her desk rang, thankfully interrupting any more sexual innuendos about blood sucking sexual fantasies, "Vicki Nelson?"

"Hey Vicki Its Mike, you wanted to speak to me?"

She arranged to have Mike stop by the office, as long as Crowley didn't have him doing menial tasks like polishing her shoes and spit shining her merits for being the 'best cop in the world'. Okay, that was a bit low on the cattiness, even for Vicki's standard, but she'd honestly thought that saving her from a heart-wrenching-out-of –your-chest-mother-of-a-killer, would have evened the score slightly between the two of them...clearly it did not, as Kate's warning rang loud and clear in her head – stay away from Mike!

Well, she was nowhere near Mike and rather preferred relying on the 'mountain coming to her, than she going to it' philosophy. Busying herself catching up on previous cases and getting Coreen to type up due bills and get them posted, kept them in a good work mode until late into the afternoon, when a tap on her door and Mike's body filled the frame,

"Hey Mike, how's it going?" closing her filing cabinet, Vicki located the file she was looking for and sat down behind her desk, "take it Kate gave you my message?"

Mike leaned off her door frame and entered the room, his raincoat open and his rather colourful tie loosened around his neck, "yeah she did how you are feeling?" she glanced up and fixed him with a broad grin as she stapled two pages together and rearranged them back into the case file, "just peachy, all things considering." Mike paled at her comment, Vicki read it seen as he worrying about the neck bite she had received from Henry, "Aww come on Mike it's me remember? I'm not shying away from direct sun light; I don't have this desirable need to drink pig's blood or any other kind of blood. Surely you should know that, having been on the receiving end of his teeth before?"

"Not consensual feeding Vicki, big difference!" He plopped himself down on the nearest seat and rubbed his weary eyes and four-day stubble. Vicki's eyes narrowed as she closed what she was doing and threw it across the desk, "So that's what this is all about, my allowing Henry to feed from me?" Mike held his hand up to try and ward off the verbal blows, "You were already in enough danger Vic! Yes okay, so I wasn't happy with the situation. You could've just accepted the fact that there are something's in life you have no control over, without resorting to playing God – even to a monster..."

Vicki shook her head and stood at her desk, feeling a resemblance of pity and a pinch of anger, "Had it occurred to you that at that very moment in time he was dying?" laughing harshly she went over to her window slowly down the rapidly growing distain towards Mike, "okay so you're pissed at me for having given my blood – _freely_ to 

Henry! Let me guess you discussed the whole he man issue of who I belong too, crocheted some darling tablemats, before settling it the only way men know how?"

Mike gave Vicki a withering look before turning around in the seat to address her, "Actually I cleaned the place up while he went off to lick his wounds at the dark cavern he calls a home. It was his decision to wipe Kate's mind of what she saw. Not warm on the idea, but she seems pretty compliant after it. A bit let's just say gushy about my find of the body, the same body I dumped there by the way?"

"Aww did no one give you credit for that one? I seem to recall not being able to do anything about that!" she held her hand up before Mike could comment on her 'decision' that led to her not being available to help on and continued, "Thank you for doing that, at least we can rest knowing he is no longer out there organ hunting?"

Mike shook his head, "We? Sorry Vic but I'm not enrolling myself in that type of lifestyle you like so much anymore! Crowley has already got me by the short hairs, and I don't intend to blot my copy book until i can get past probation."

Sighing Vicki understood the reasons behind keeping it sweet with the Captain but not about his need to clean the streets from the type of vermin that lay hidden underneath the surface, "No, but you want me to choose between the clean respectable life of 'ignore it and it will go away', or hang my neck out to get it off my watch! I can't do that Mike, no more than you can kiss ass to Crowley?"

Mike Celluci stood and stared wearily at Vicki. They'd had this argument one too many times now. He cared for her more than she would ever know, yet she was too hard headed to even contemplate what she was throwing away, "Give my regards to Fitzroy, I hope you two are happy together." She stood with her arms folded across her chest, the same hard determined look she always wore when she wanted to prove everyone wrong about her decision. The same one she'd worn the day she told him she was quitting the force, and their relationship, "Don't say that I didn't warn you, but this will all end 

badly Vic. I can't keep running whenever you need me to cover your back. It's either me or Fitzroy; you can't have it both ways!"

With a look that said he'd already lost, Mike turned and left the room, saying goodbye to Coreen as he did so. Once the outer office door was closed, Coreen got up and went to Vicki, who was standing staring out of the window, watching as Mike got into his car and drove off, "Is everything okay Vicki?"

She stood in silence and watched as Mike drove out of her life. How could she choose? Mike and she had shared a past, a past that had cemented in her life, a time when she was at her happiest. A time when her sight was not an overbearing obstacle that would lead to total blindness and she a bloody good Detective! Too many things changed for her ever to go back to that life. Challenges opened up and yes for the first time she was not seeing with eyes that only focused on what was there in front of them but what was hidden in shadows. Henry had allowed her to believe that there was more to heaven and earth, than what was written in any lifestyle manual. He had allowed her the freedom to choose her fate, even if it had gone against everything she had ever believed in. Holding her back was not an option he stood against but encouraged her to seek out her own reasons why she choose to believe what really went on around her. Supernatural was something very few understood, hell even now she still found it bewildering. It was Henry's life; his existence that pushed her forward into the realm where supernatural and natural co-existed as easily as fire and air.

Her choosing sealed her fate in going with the safe, sensible way of life. The dark and twisting path had Asteroth breathing at the gate. No matter what she chose, he was there and walking amongst the living and until she got rid of him once and for all, Mike's tempting offer would just have to wait,

"Mike won't be coming around for a while...if ever!" her voice sounded so hollow to her ears, but it was best Coreen understood the implications, "seems he's still not happy sharing me with Henry." She reached for her glasses, slipping them down her nose and pinching 

the unmistakable pain just behind her eyes, remembering she hadn't taken any medication today. Brilliant what else could possibly make her day any more depressing?

"What's going to happen now?" simplistic questioning from her assistant and an answer she wasn't willing to give just yet, "I dunno, one thing's for sure we have work to do!"

Ending the discussion she moved to her desk, sitting behind it once more and continuing on where she had left off. Coreen stood for ages just watching her Boss. She felt saddened that Vicki was no closer to happiness than the last time there had been a standoff. Sadly she turned around and resumed her work behind her desk. She only hoped that resolving the issue one way or the other would result in continuing work for her. Less life threatening cases where she didn't become a Demon Bride, or have her brains sucked out would do just fine.

**Epilogue...**

Darkness fell, as day turned into night and the moon rose high in the sky. The office lay in silence as Vicki welcomed the darkness, for with darkness she no longer feared not being able to see. Darkness offered a more brighter future perhaps, or maybe she was clinging to the hope she finally got over her 'abandonment issues' and could now focus on some kind of closure to the last few weeks of madness.

Sipping her red wine, she mulled over her conversation with Mike and how it ended. Coreen was careful to avoid speaking about him the remainder of the day, she felt sorry she had put her in such a difficult position. Coreen was one of those people that like addressing 

the balance in life, even if she didn't always agree on Vicki's decisions, she always stood by her no matter what?

Mike on the other hand, had always seen the glass half full. He wanted her to stop chasing monsters and settle for a normal life, but that was just it, how could she possibly return to a normal life? This is what she loved the most, sitting here waiting for that odd but familiar feeling, as a rush of wind would enter her domain and Henry would appear. She craved for her night time; she welcomed the mystery it excited in her. Never in her career as a Police Officer, had she felt this passionate about her job. Being a Private Investigator was all about sticking up for the small guy, protecting those too frightened to ask for help, or had been overlooked by the law too busy scoring brownie points somewhere else.

She sounded bitter and had no right to be. Mike made his decision to save his career and keep his nose clean, she understood that, respected it even. But likewise he should respect her decisions also, should he not?

A rush of wind blew some papers of her desk as she smiled and looked up into the eyes of the rakish charm and self-gratified smile of a Vampire lurking in her doorway, "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up?"

Henry slowly removed his lithe body from the door, and entered the room with all the grace and agility of the Prince or Duke that he was. Dressed tonight in a crimson silken shirt, dark pants and matching jacket, his hair tussled from the wind outside. Moving with the ease of a jaguar as it approached its prey, he replied, "One would presume my presence was very much missed?" Perching upon her desk, he beamed his most daring of smiles at Vicki; she in turn almost choked on a mouthful of wine, "You presume too much, that's your trouble?" She couldn't help but try and hide a smile behind her glass, as she lifted it to her lips again. Only to have it stilled from reaching them, by a finger replacing the lip of the glass, "my trouble seems to be so tempting right now..." his voice trailed off, deep and resonating. She could feel her pulse quicken as she licked her dry lips. Causing 

Henry's attention to shift to them as his pupils dilated and darkened, "Does your charm always work?" she smiled as she questioned him, the easy banter had changed into a sexually charged quid pro quo.

For all her instincts in being able to read and counteract every persons movement, her ability seemed hampered by too much wine 'only one glass had passed her lips' lack of a sexual partner, 'a bane she had carried over a year now' or simply the after effects of having a roguishly handsome Vampire feed from her neck in the most mind blowing of sensual, sexual, encounters she had ever experienced? Either way, she watched him slowly lean forward from his position on the edge of her desk, inhaling as nostrils flared, something more than simply her perfume she had liberally applied earlier that evening. Something the ultra tough, ultra non giggling Vicki Nelson hadn't done in some time, "I have never had reason to doubt my charm or charisma, nor its effects on the lady whom, I so desire!"

Boy, talk about fanning yourself? Vicki could feel the room notch up in temperature, or was it just her? Henry was smiling at her in a way that spoke of hidden desires and an expertise, that was centuries old. Pah, she was giving him all the ammo that he needed to pursue her, allowed him to see she was interested in where this was going to lead. He was certainly taking an interest as he moved swiftly from his sitting position to behind her, inhaling the citrus scent of her shampoo. Swallowing hard, she tried to focus on the wall across from her desk that held her certificate in passing the Police Academy and the honorary photograph beside the Mayor of Toronto. Her pulse quickened as fingers brushed the collar of her shirt, moving aside the hair that hid the now healing scar from his teeth, "Does it bother you?" Frowning, she turned slightly trying to see his face, but finding herself compelled to just feel with her senses instead, "B-bother me?"

"The mark, does it bother you?" she could feel him smile behind her ear, the headiness of too much alcohol mixing with rapidly boiling blood thickening along her veins, sent her head into a spin as she tried to focus on answering him, "A-ah, no...I d-don't think so..." her eyes dropped heavily, her head swayed slightly as she felt his own 

hair tickle along the lower part of her neck to her collarbone. If there was a word that would describe an erogenous zone along the base of the neck it would be 'blissful' because right now that is how she felt, blissful and very much aware of how he was affecting her. His voice dropped lower into a husky whisper as his fingers traced the wound as if worshipping something delicate and special, "Good, what you did for me was the most giving, compassionate gift a woman could ever give," slightly puzzled Vicki offered up a question, "But isn't this the thing you're used to doing? You know, feeding of women who fall for that charm of yours?"

Henry laughed as he leaned over, so she could see his face, "I normally get them into a position where they can't resist me yes. You, on the other hand offered your blood to me. That's not something that happens - if ever. Except for the first time, when you did the same selfless thing, offered your blood to save my life!"

Her cheeks reddened as she lowered her eyes to her hands that were absently playing with the hem of her shirt, "I told you, no dying on me if I can help it. You've saved my life so many times Henry, I did it before, and I'll do it again!"

She felt his cool fingers on her chin, and took in a deep breath as her face was lifted, blue eyes flashed in hues of clear ocean and dark storms rising upon the surface as his voice deepened, the tone resonating deep inside her heart, "You are a woman of extraordinary strengths and passions Victoria. In over a lifetime, I have scarcely come across someone who gives herself so willingly to everything she does. To hear the blood rushing through your veins with each breath that you take, like a lifeline I cling to it and hold on tight..." his hand travelled up to her cheek as he caressed the nerve endings at the back of her ear and she closed her eyes, not being able to fight the moan that escaped her lips, "Your body sings to me every time we are near each other, the fight I have restrained myself for too long is reaching its point of no return...you know we would be explosive together if you only trust the darkness and know that I would do you no harm?"

Vicki opened her eyes and stared into the darkened depths of Henry's, understood the painful truth those words that echoed and hung in the air above them, like a guillotine awaiting it's next victim, "I-I'm scared Henry...all of this, what will become of us when you have finally got what you want from me?" She saw Henry's reaction as he withdrew himself slightly, as if waiting or expecting the rejection, "What would become of us when it's all over, can you guarantee that you would look at no other than me?"

Reject she wasn't but she wanted to make sure that no matter what, her terms meant everything to her, even though she knew in her heart he would never be able to keep his side of the bargain,

"I am a Vampire Vicki; my life survives solely on blood. I can not endanger your life by feeding of you every time you offer it. Passion is not the only way I can feed, but you can't deny me the right to take a lover each time, no more than I can deny you carrying a gun..."

"I can't be just another one of your happy meals Henry; I need, want more involvement than that!" Vicki gave him her ultimatum and watched the emotions darken his face, as he slipped off her desk and stood looking down at her. His dimpled cheek twitched as he clamped his jaw tight.

Sadly she pushed her chair back and stood herself, feeling the strain of the last couple of days weigh heavily on her bones, the resigned knowledge that nothing had been gained from their meeting up again, just like with Mike, the stubbornness was the sticking point that would not go away, "look I think you should g-g"

"Alright!"

Vicki stopped her rehearsed goodbye and blinked twice, "W-what?"

Henry placed his hands behind his back and raised his chin, bringing his stature up to its full height, proud and commanding, "I will do it your way!" Vicki opened and closed her mouth feeling more resembling a goldfish as she tried to get around what he was agreeing to, expecting him to say no had been easier to accept than a 

yes, "You, are agreeing to do as I've asked...have me as your only lover?" a high pitched squeak came from her throat as she began laughing nervously, unfortunately Henry didn't see it as a laughing matter at all, "I has been known in the past that I can come to a compromise, mocking me because of this..."

"No – NO, Henry, I-I'm not mocking you, honestly I'm not!" She held her hand up to indicate her apology towards hurting his feelings, as the scowl that had placed itself on his face disappeared, "Very well then, "as I was saying, I am willing to make certain...sacrifices in order to have you...mind..." he took a step towards her, shifting the mood in the room once more and whatever laughter was left - die in her throat, "body..." one more step and he was practically nose to nose with her, as the urgency to breathe was becoming more apparent, "and soul!"

Eyes watched eyes, as touch seemed unnecessary. Spoken word seemed difficult to get past dryness that blocked the need for sound. Rushing of blood and drumming of heart thrummed beneath pale skin. The darkness of passion brought forth richness so tempting; it was hard not to envision how Adam felt when he was tempted by Eve with an apple. Moistened lips offered up awakening desires that rattled and howled inside a locked cage, begging to be freed. The blood thirst rang along deadened arteries, soared through tissue and muscle until every nerve ending pleaded to be brought to life. Skin so exotic offered up very little resistance, as a hand scooped forward to behind a soft curtain of blonde hair, scraping neatly filed nails into the scalp as lips parted in anticipation for a kiss that would bring to end the dance that had been played out far too long, and offer up another that would just be the beginning.

A cell phone rang, endangering this long awaited temptation, eyes stilled and bore deeply into paler ones, that offered up no resistance as a slim hand lifted the object ringing and flicked the switch, cutting off the harsh tone and bringing the world around them back into silence. A smile so devilish, Satan himself was crying at the thought that such charm could be bestowed onto one person, as Henry 

lowered his mouth on top of Vicki's, and sealed the bargain between them.

Back at the precinct unaware of what was about to take place, Mike stared curiously at his cell phone as the number he had just dialled cut itself off. His need to apologise to Vicki over his hard headed attitude was painfully urgent. Crowley had pulled him in over the investigation of Edgar Poole, even going so far as to congratulate him over helping Kate capture the homicidal maniac, albeit a little too late but his thorough digging had brought results, and those results had helped taking another murderer off the streets. A recommendation to the board for an early probation pardon was on the cards and who better to share it with than Vicki, who had helped him in more ways than one. Obviously she was still pissed at him over their angry exchange, glancing at his watch; he had another three hours before he could escape from under his sergeants' nose – damn it! She would be with Fitzroy now being all Florence Nightingale to his healing, maybe even offer a pint or two of her blood to keep his strength up. The plastic cup of coffee he had almost drunk crumbled in his hand and spilled its remains all over his suit pants, "Brilliant Celluci, now it looks as if you've pissed yourself!"

Throwing the crushed cup, analogy for the state of his heart perhaps? Into the trash can, wiping his sodden hand with a tissue and then his pants leg, before resigning to spending the night writing up yet more reports, "congratulations on coming off probation Mike have a drink on me. Don't mind if i do!" Shaking his head, he looked up at the empty office around him, feeling for once in a very long time totally alone.

Flames ignited along her veins, soaring into a stratosphere she had no conscious notion of coming down from. Everything around her was magnified ten thousand times, as Henry's presence and essence enveloped around her, cocooning her in a blanket of velvet darkness. 

She remembered the feeling of floating, the feeling of weightlessness and then found herself lying on top of her bed and everything around her, sounds, smells and emotions took over. Touch took away what sight could not bring her. Hands broad, strong and calloused from almost five centuries of fighting long forgotten battles, and grafting artwork and literature together in his world, brought forth a hidden delight as it skirted along her stomach and under the material that offered no barrier to his wanderings. As one kiss ended, another began, she was lost, helpless to defend or comprehend what was happening to her. Merely a spectator on this roller coaster ride that spun her around and flipped her upside down with each touch that awakened something primal within her.

Hunger drummed in her chest, passion alerted her senses, and desire whet the appetite she had denied for far too long. Clothing slipped from her body as skin aligned with skin and touch alerted natural senses as nails dug deep into muscled arms that held her tight. Her breathing was the only sound that deafened her hearing. Moans of complimented responses and deep resonating tokens of appreciation filled her with a power that made her feel she could conquer the world. His lips, hands and body filled everywhere she looked or turned too. This close, his face offered her eyes a glimpse of the young man whose features held youth and strength, power and command at his fingertips. Fingers that knew exactly how to evoke a response from her that cried out to be fulfilled.

Their joining was a mutual lunge and parry of equal strengths and weaknesses. It brought forth a cry that ripped from her throat almost feral; as he buried himself deep inside and held her in a vice grip that made a promise not to let go. Everything built up at once inside her, emotions and feelings leapt together and formed a climax that rushed forward full steam, bringing them both of the bed in a frenzied fight for domination. Her eyes widened as Henry's powerful non-human response, brought her higher and higher to the point of complete blackout. As blue orbs blackened, fangs protruded and with a noise that sent a shiver through her sweat soaked skin, he lowered his mouth to the column of her throat and sank down onto her soft flesh.

Wordless and soundless she felt the pain, followed by immense pleasure as his teeth ripped through soft tissue to the vein in which he drunk greedily from. Vicki's eyes rolled to the back of her head, a rush exploded behind them, sending her over the edge completely, physically and mentally. Hands moved to hands and fingers laced together as bodies comfortably lay on top of one another, cradling each other's weight as finally Henry released himself, spilling inside her as he groaned deeply onto her skin, releasing her neck after licking and sealing the wound he had left there.

He felt alive inside, not just from the bloodlust he had given into, but also from the life force that surrounded him, encapsulated him and drove him forward with a frenzy he hadn't encountered in a very long time. He knew his union with Vicki would be incredible, but he hadn't encountered just how powerful the connection between them would be. Every touch, every taste made him want her more. Joining together wasn't as simplistic as the thousand other lovers that passed by in his mind. She had allowed the darkness, the passion to consume her, but in doing so, it had also engulfed him in the flame.

No hesitation was warranted as she offered her neck and life's blood up to him. The sweetness of nectar sang on his tongue as he drank like a man possessed. One thing was certain, now that they had made the sweetest and most dangerous love making come to life...there was no way he would ever let her go, or allow Celluci a favourable part of her life. If she wanted him to be faithful or at least curtail his wandering lust to a minimum, then she needed to understand that Mike the Cop, would just have to settle for having her mind and nothing else during the day.

Drained of every concessive thought, liquid from warmth that settled deep in her womb, Vicki finally opened her eyes and looked into two deeply amused blue ones. He looked younger, almost childlike as humour replaced harsh lines that robbed so many a flawless complexion – Henry of course had nothing to worry about on that score, "I think you've broke me!" her voice sounded hoarse - a deep 

rasping that made her sound odd, as he smiled down at her still wrapped in his arms, "I would hope not, for I fear I am not yet finished enjoying my time in the maidens bed. Perhaps next time she would be so bold as to return the favour of administrating the pleasure?"

She found herself giggling at the very noble, very old way of explaining things. In other words taking turns would pose such a delicious event that would pass away the hours until daylight would rob him of her company, "I think I can come up with some interesting ways of 'administrating' pleasure...speaking metaphorically that is!" to her surprise she found herself blushing. It was a strange dynamic she found herself in, totally odd, totally unexpected and very womanly...something she hadn't felt like in a very long time, "Boldness is an interesting concept." His smile was wicked as he laughed, "I have no doubt in my mind the pleasure I will receive will be worth the wait I have had to endure for almost a year..." Henry touched her face as he spoke, his hand felt so gentle against her cheek, it made her swallow hard as eyes locked and concentrated on her fully, "you are more remarkable with each passing day. A journey through life could not compare to how lucky and fortunate I am right now to be lying here with you!"

Vicki almost wept from the tender, heartfelt adoration that was being bestowed on her from a four hundred plus walking, talking Vampire. A unique concept giving her lack of love life and medley of half hearted relationships of the past. Mike had been the one whom she thought was worth holding onto for a future. When that got messy, she had resigned herself to living her life as a lonely spinster, chalking up the days until she would slip slowly into dementia and forget love ever existed. What Henry was offering was a time spent exploring other possibilities, give into her darkest desires and awaken the woman she had trapped inside, "Well, I could say the same thing. How was I to know blood suckers had such stamina, such...hidden talents?" Wrapping a tendril of thick blonde hair around his fingers, he smiled broadly at the compliment, his impish grin held the delight that his centuries of experience had yet to let him down; "That, Victoria was just a taste of what is to come. From now on you will be enslaved to your awakening desire. Your conscience thought will carry the taste and sound of our time 

together. From the moment you wake up until the moment I arrive, everything will seem insignificant and superfluous!"

She wanted to come off with a cocky comment to slap him down a peg or two, delusion was something Henry was regrettably full off. Instead she yawned loudly, stretching muscles that cried out from underuse as she placed her hand over her mouth to try and still the yawn that signalled tiredness, yet she had spent an entire day resting. Henry understood the reason why she now felt compelled to rest, "I took a fair amount of blood from you. Hence it will not be wise to feed from you each time we make love!" she nodded as her eyes began to droop, "You think there will be another time between us?"

Henry smiled as he leaned down and captured her lips in a tender, responsive yet gentle kiss, "I don't think...I know there will be other times Vicki. Rest for a while and gather your strength, I will wait for your turn in giving the pleasure." She snorted loudly as her body welcomed the deep warmth of sleep, "I don't want to...sleep long, I need to see...you before...daylight..."

"You will."

"You're so sure of...yourself...aren't you?"

He smiled, "I have to be!"

"Will you watch...over me?"

"Always."

Vicki opened one eye, "There's a word for people like you!"

Henry bit his lip as his amused voice replied, "It's called lover, remember that!"

"Hah, that's not the word I was thinking of!"

"I know. Now, go to sleep, or I will be forced to take the pleasure you so graciously offered up to me!"

She closed both eyes, "Bully!"

Within minutes her soft breathing became shallow, her heart beat a steady rhythm in her chest as it rose and fell under the blankets he had tucked around her delectable body. His sense of protectiveness 

was stronger and more urgent as he passed his fingers through her long hair, arranging it around the pillow like a halo of light. She was his light amongst the dark shadows that hid in his life. She brought forward a salvation he has yearned for and finally got to taste, letting go was not an option if ever. In Vicki he had found a common ground where he knew he was an equal. Circumstances had brought them together for a reason, and if he lived for another four hundred years, he would make this moment in time count more precious than any other. Wrapping her in his arms, he glanced towards the darkness of the night, feeling the first stirrings of winter as it wallowed through the streets, bringing in the coldness he had long since forgotten how it felt. In a few hours time he would have to leave the confines of Vicki's bed and make his own way home alone. Something he didn't want to dwell on, facing the long slumber that would rob him of his life while Vicki lived hers.

Day would bring about a time she would not be with him; the day belonged to the world that needed her help, Coreen who helped her solve cases, and Mike Celluci who needed her company just to right the balance in his world. Night time...the night would bring his life back into play. Night would offer mysteries and strange adventures, would give him the chance to make each moment count between them. He smiled to himself then as Vicki stirred and breathed deeply, murmuring words that held no meaning. His world had Vicki; his life had a new meaning. He would teach her everything about herself; show her just how open she could be about the darkness around her. Offer her sight a new definition of being able to see beyond what limitation it had.

Henry had a plan, he was after all the bastard son of King Henry VIII, a visionary himself who conquered all he was told could not be his.

The future held so many secrets to be told...so many secrets.


End file.
